Mikel Merino Zazón (মিকেল মেরিনো) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays mainly as a midfielder and occasionally as a striker for Premier League club Arsenal and the Spain national team.

He began his career with Osasuna, and had short spells at Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United before signing for Real Sociedad in 2018, winning the 2019–20 Copa del Rey with the club while totalling 242 appearances and 27 goals. In August 2024, he joined Premier League side Arsenal.

Merino was part of the Spain under-19 team which won the 2015 UEFA European Championship in Greece. He scored their first goal of the tournament, opening a 3–0 win over holders Germany at the AEL FC Arena in Larissa.

On 20 August 2020, Merino received his first call up to the senior side, for the initial two matches of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League against Germany and Ukraine. He earned his first cap against the former on 3 September by replacing Sergio Busquets early into the second half of a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal on 12 September 2023, the second in an eventual 6–0 rout of Cyprus in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2024 held in Granada.

Merino was included in the squad for the Euro 2024 finals. In the quarter-final against Germany in Stuttgart, he scored a header from a cross by Dani Olmo in the 119th minute to secure his nation a spot in the semi-finals with a 2–1 win; his celebration after the goal (running around the corner flag) mirrored that of his father after he had done the same for Osasuna in a UEFA Cup fixture at the same stadium in 1991. He also featured in Spain's win in the final where they defeated England 2–1, achieving a continental record of four European championships, and in the process became one of 12 players who won both youth and senior Euro titles, alongside his teammates Nacho, Ferran Torres, Álvaro Morata and Rodri.

Merino's father, Ángel Miguel, was also a footballer. His career was also associated with Osasuna, as both a player and manager. On 1 June 2024, Merino married model Lola Liberal in Pamplona.