As we gear up for the first semi-final clash of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tonight, Borussia Dortmund fans may want to keep an eye on a player battle between two of their former players.
France's Ousmane Dembele and Spain's Mikel Merino come face-to-face at the Dallas Stadium yet again, renewing their rivalry on the biggest stage of them all.
Interestingly, both players shared the dressing room at Signal Iduna Park during the 2016-17 season under current England manager Thomas Tuchel. Dembele was signed on a club-record fee of €35 million during the summer and Merino was brought in as a mid-season acquisition from Osasuna earlier that year.
While the Spaniard was merely a substitute, making a meager nine appearances during his spell, Dembele was one of their star players of the 2016-17 campaign with 49 appearances and scoring 10 goals, assisting another 21.
Since they've gone their separate ways, the players have come up against each other a few times: first in LaLiga where Dembele moved to for Barcelona after one year at Dortmund, while Merino signed for Real Sociedad.
Last season, the ex-Dortmund teammates clashed in the UEFA Champions League final as PSG beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties. Dembele scored the equalizing goal for the Parisians during normal time while Merino remained an unused substitute for the Gunners.
Besides, the ex-Dortmund teammates have faced off a few times on the international stage too. The most notable one was the Euro 2024 semi-finals where Spain beat France 2-1 as well as last year's UEFA Nations League last-four where Merino's La Roja prevailed once more.
Tonight will be another high-stakes clash between them. But while Dembele is starting for France, Merino has been named among the substitutes for Spain once more. That's because the forward has been a crucial weapon for them off the bench, netting late winners against Portugal in the Round of 16 and then against Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Spanish coach Luis de al Fuente could unleash the Arsenal forward in the second half once again tonight if Spain need some late inspiration in the clash. As for Dembele, the Frenchman has been their best player for Les Bleus behind Kylian Mbappe, netting five goals. His incredible tally includes a group-stage hat-trick against Norway and a goal in their 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco.
One of these former BVB aces though, will see their World Cup campaign end tonight. Let's see who gets through.
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