| Juan Merino | |
| Fullname: | Juan Merino Ruiz[1] |
| Birth Date: | 24 August 1970 |
| Birth Place: | La Línea, Spain |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Youthclubs1: | Betis |
| Years1: | 1989–1990 |
| Caps1: | 11 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 1990–2002 |
| Caps2: | 315 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Years3: | 2002–2007 |
| Caps3: | 137 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Totalcaps: | 463 |
| Totalgoals: | 4 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1991 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 1991–1992 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Manageryears1: | 2010–2011 |
| Managerclubs1: | Recreativo (assistant) |
| Manageryears2: | 2011 |
| Managerclubs2: | Xerez |
| Manageryears3: | 2014–2016 |
| Managerclubs3: | Betis B |
| Manageryears4: | 2014 |
| Managerclubs4: | Betis (caretaker) |
| Manageryears5: | 2016 |
| Managerclubs5: | Betis |
| Manageryears6: | 2016–2017 |
| Managerclubs6: | Gimnàstic |
| Manageryears7: | 2017 |
| Managerclubs7: | Córdoba |
| Manageryears8: | 2019 |
| Managerclubs8: | UCAM Murcia |
Juan Merino Ruiz (born 24 August 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a central defender, currently a manager.
He played solely in Andalusia in a 17-year professional career, with Betis and Recreativo, appearing in more than 200 matches in both La Liga and the Segunda División.
Subsequently, Merino worked as a manager, including jobs at his former clubs.
Born in La Línea de la Concepción, Province of Cádiz, Merino joined Real Betis's first team in 1990, becoming their captain in later years.[2] Out of his 12 years at the club eight were in La Liga, and he appeared in 203 games in that division, scoring two goals; in the 1996–97 season, he contributed 36 matches to help to a fourth-place finish.[1]
In 2002–03, staying in Andalusia, Merino signed a two-year contract with Recreativo de Huelva.[3] In his first season the side was relegated, regaining top-flight status in 2006 as champions.[4] After featuring in 23 games in the 2006–07 campaign he retired from football, with 522 professional appearances to his credit.[5]
Immediately after retiring, Merino rejoined Betis as director of football.[6] He was named assistant coach in 2009, going on to work with two different managers.[7] [8]
In the 2010–11 season, Merino cut ties with Betis and returned to Recre as assistant to Pablo Alfaro – a former Sevilla FC defender – with the club in the Segunda División. The latter was fired in mid-October after only eight games (four draws and four losses), and the former stayed on as second in command to Carlos Ríos.[9]
Merino was named manager of Xerez CD on 14 June 2011.[10] He was sacked on 4 December, due to poor results.[11]
On 25 June 2014, after nearly three years without a club, Merino was appointed at the helm of Betis B.[12] On 25 November, after Julio Velázquez's dismissal from the first team, he was named interim manager;[13] he remained in charge for four league matches, achieving as many wins before being replaced by Pepe Mel and returning to his previous duties.[14]
On 11 January 2016, Merino was again appointed caretaker manager at Betis, following Mel's sacking.[15] On 3 February, he was chosen to remain in the position until the end of the season.[16]
On 25 May 2016, after the arrival of new boss Gus Poyet, Merino left Betis.[17] On 28 December, he took over at second-tier club Gimnàstic de Tarragona in the place of Vicente Moreno,[18] but was himself relieved of his duties the following 20 May as the team was still in the relegation zone.[19]
On 18 October 2017, Merino replaced the dismissed Luis Carrión at the helm of Córdoba CF, still in the second division.[20] He was fired on 7 December after winning none and drawing three of his seven fixtures.[21]
Merino returned to management on 29 April 2019, taking over from Pedro Munitis at UCAM Murcia CF and tasked with taking the team to play-offs of Segunda División B in their final three games.[22]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xerez |  | 14 June 2011 | 5 December 2011 | [23] | ||||||||
| Betis B | | 25 June 2014 | 11 January 2016 | [24] | ||||||||
| Betis (caretaker) | | 25 November 2014 | 23 December 2014 | [25] | ||||||||
| Betis | | 11 January 2016 | 25 May 2016 | [26] | ||||||||
| Gimnàstic | | 28 December 2016 | 20 May 2017 | [27] | ||||||||
| Córdoba | | 18 October 2017 | 4 December 2017 | [28] | ||||||||
| UCAM Murcia | | 29 April 2019 | 11 June 2019 | [29] | ||||||||
| Career total | — | |||||||||||
Recreativo