Víctor Merino

Víctor Hugo Merino Dubón (born August 18, 1979 in Apopa, El Salvador) is a Salvadoran footballer who currently plays for Metapan in the Salvadoran Premier Division.

Club career

FC Jazz

Merino signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 with Finnish team FC Jazz Pori. In Finland he is known by his maternal family name Dubón. Initially the contract was for five years, but Merino struggled to accommodate himself with the change in climate and the Finnish language. As a result he returned after four seasons.

Merino spent his first year in Finland with FC Jazz's junior team. The next season he debuted in the Finnish top level, Veikkausliiga. Merino played total of 76 games in Veikkausliiga, scoring five goals.^[1] He also represented FC Jazz in 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup as the club played against Gloria Bistriţa and Paris Saint-Germain.

Alianza and San Salvador

On his return to El Salvador Merino signed with one of the countries biggest clubs in Alianza F.C.. His dribbling skills quickly made him a fan favourite, but his lack of consistency saw him transfer to San Salvador F.C. for the 2001 Apertura season. Here Merino began to excel and mature as a player. He was arguably the team's driving force in attack and helped them win the 2003 Clausura title, scoring one of their goals in the final against Luis Ángel Firpo.^[2]

Luis Ángel Firpo

His great form saw him not only be selected into the national team, but also saw him gain the attention of another one of El Salvador's larger clubs in C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo who he signed for the following season after his title win with San Salvador F.C.. Here Merino continued to impress and was seen as one of the countries best creative Attacking midfielders. Unfortunately for Merino, he suffered an injury in the 2005 Clausura season and upon his return found it difficult to return to the high level of play that he had held for many years. Although he still produced moments of brilliance, he was not as consistent and he also failed to at times, play as part of a team.

FAS and Águila

His lack of form saw him once again transfer to another one of the Salvadoran giants of football in C.D. FAS.^[3] Here he saw limited playing time and as a result was transfer after one year to C.D. Águila. This move not only ment a fresh start for Merino, but also saw him join the list of a select few players that have played for what are considered the "Big four" clubs in the country (that being Alianza, Luis Ángel Firpo, FAS and Águila). Fortunately for Merino this move has seen to have suited him well as he has now become a regular starter and an important part of the team. Although his form is far from what it once was, he has lifted it to a level that many had not seen him play at for well over three years.

Back at Firpo

Merino rejoined Firpo in 2009.

International career

Dubón received his first called up to the El Salvador national football team in 2003. He made his debut for the Cuscatlecos in a July 2004 friendly match against Guatemala and has earned a total of 20 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented his country in 4 FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[4] and played at the 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup^[5] as well as at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.^[6]

His final international match was a September 2007 friendly match against Ecuador.

International goals

Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 August 2007	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	Honduras	2-0	2-0	Friendly match

Honours

• Salvadoran Premier League: 1

2003 Clausura

References

External links

• Víctor Merino at National-Football-Teams.com
• Profile - El Gráfico (Spanish)

v t e El Salvador squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 Gómez 2 Guevara 3 Anaya 4 J.R. Torres 5 Henríquez 6 J.O. Martínez 7 Merino 8 Menjívar 9 Campos 10 Melgar 11 Cerritos 12 Carballo 13 J.E. Martínez 14 Sánchez 15 Salazar 16 Larios 17 Alas 18 Escobar 19 Pacheco 20 Álvarez 21 Quintanilla 22 Portillo 23 Montes Coach: de los Cobos