Javi Martinez, who won the 2010 South Africa World Cup with the Spanish team, recalled his championship victory in an interview and gave high praise to Mikel Merino from Pamplona.
Javi Martinez was also a member of the Spanish team during the 2010 South Africa World Cup. Although his role in the celebrations was relatively minor, he personally experienced the entire process. Now, standing in a similar scene again, he can't help but feel a little nostalgic.
Speaking about his experience back then, Javi Martinez said, "It's definitely nostalgic. It's been a long time, and some things are gradually forgotten because so much happened in such a short period of time. Everything reached its peak, but eventually you still remember it. Just now, when I was walking up the stairs with Merino, I thought back to when it was my turn. We've been friends for many years."
During this World Cup, Javi Martínez served as a commentator for DAZN's Spanish national team, witnessing firsthand the team's victory in their second World Cup title. Speaking about his experience participating in the World Cup in a different capacity, he said, "This time, I experienced it all from a different perspective, but I enjoyed it just as much. I'm incredibly proud of Merino, Nico Williams, and Javi López Vallejo. They brought Navarra's name to the world and displayed impeccable character. After 16 years, we finally earned another star, and I'm proud and very happy about it."
Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opening match of the World Cup. Speaking about the significance of that game, Javi Martinez said, "It's a long tournament, and there's always a game where you don't play well. We just happened to have one in the very first game, which served as a wake-up call for the team. That game was good for them, helping them to play a great tournament afterwards."
When asked about Merino missing the San Fermín festival due to his participation in the World Cup, Javi Martinez joked in a lighthearted tone: "I did participate, though. He deserves to launch the opening rocket for San Fermín next year with Lopez Vallejo. We should start pushing for that now."
When asked about Merino's goal-scoring ability, Javi Martinez said he was not surprised.
He said, "He's a very good player who makes runs from deep and is very intelligent. He's not a natural striker, but you can see that by looking at how he found his runs against Portugal and how he anticipated the goalkeeper's mistakes and scored against Belgium. He always believes that opportunities will come, and that's why he can be in that position. Scoring two goals in just about 15 minutes is incredible, a truly stunning performance, and he should be very proud of himself."
