Carlos Merino

Carlos Gustavo Merino González is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Merino started his senior career with Nottingham [Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest] in the English Football League Championship, and signed in March 2000 for hometown's Athletic Bilbao – the deal being effective as of the 2000–01 season– where he struggled with first-team opportunities, also being loaned to Segunda División club Burgos CF.
After being released in January 2004, Merino joined CD Numancia. In 2004–05's La Liga he played and scored regularly, although the Soria side were relegated one year after 2003–04 [Segunda División|promoting]. He went on to have second-tier stints with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, UD Las Palmas and Albacete Balompié, also representing the first side in the top flight.
In the 2011 January transfer window, aged nearly 31, Merino moved abroad again, signing for FC [Wacker Innsbruck (2002)|Fußballclub Wacker Innsbruck] in Austria and sharing teams with compatriot Iñaki Bea. On 15 September 2013 he moved countries again, joining Panthrakikos F.C. of the Super League Greece and being released on 7 January of the following year.
Merino returned to both his homeland and native region in July 2014, signing with Club Portugalete in Tercera División.