Fran Mérida
Fran Merida in dress from Arsenal
Francisco Mérida Pérez, better known as Fran Mérida (born 4 March 1990 in Barcelona, Spain ) is a Spanish footballer who is currently under contract with Clube Atlético Paranaense.
Club career
The midfielder comes from the youth of FC Barcelona. Ever since he was eight years Mérida played for the Catalans. In summer 2005, Mérida moved to England to London Arsenal FC, as it there, hoping his parents would have more potential for use.
2007 prompted a court that Mérida had to pay a fee of 3.2 million euros to FC Barcelona, as it had signed a contract with the Catalans. His first game for the first team, he completed in August 2006 in a friendly against Boreham Wood. On 25 September 2007, he played in the League Cup against Newcastle United his first competitive game for Arsenal. It was followed by two more league cup inserts at the end of the year. In April 2008, Mérida extended his contract at Arsenal in the long term to an indefinite period.
In January 2008 he was loaned until the end of the season in the Spanish second division club Real Sociedad to collect there match practice. When the Spanish second division came Mérida 17 times used, encountering a time into the goal.
In the 2008 /09 season Mérida played his first Premier League game for Arsenal in a 3-1 win at Birmingham City. He came on in the 83rd minute for Samir Nasri. In the rest of the season he came again in the league and three times in the League Cup for use.
In the following season Mérida played for the first time in the European Cup, when he helped in the Champions League group stage against Olympiakos Piraeus. This season Mérida also scored his first league goal in a 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers.
For the 2010/11 season Mérida moved free transfer to Atlético Madrid and signed a four-year contract. For the 2011/12 season Mérida was loaned to SC Braga. For the 2012/13 season moved Mérida to Hércules Club de Fútbol, in February 2013 the Brazilian first division side Clube Atlético Paranaense.
National team career
In 2007 he was a playmaker of the Spanish Under-17 team European champion. Mérida came in four of five games for use, scoring one goal and was then elected to the Team of the Tournament. In the same year he took part with Spain's U- 17 team at the World Cup. There he failed with his team in the final to Nigeria on penalties. Merida's penalty was saved by the Nigerian goalkeeper. Mérida scored in this tournament a goal in six games.
2009 Mérida was appointed to the squad for the year in those taking place in Egypt Junior World Cup. Spain finished at the tournament in the group stage with maximum points haul and 13-0 gates, Mérida contributed to two goals in two games at. However, the subsequent early exit in the second round against Italy he could not prevent.
Just two months earlier, he retired to a Spanish Youth National Team, U-19, early in the group stage at the European Championships in Ukraine.
Achievements
- U-17 Football Championship: 2007
- Europa League winner: 2012