“I never wanted to be a tourist”

We meet in a quiet café off the Place Royale, a short walk from the Loire. Cristian Merino orders an espresso and watches the rain slide down the window. He is 39 now, out of the game for a year and a half, and he wears his retirement like a well-cut coat—familiar, but not yet entirely comfortable.

**You stopped after the 2061/62 season. Was it your decision, or did football decide for you?**

It was mutual, in the end. My body had been telling me for two years that the music was fading. Nantes were graceful, they never pushed. But I knew when I could no longer give the club what it deserved. I didn't want to be a tourist in the shirt. So I stepped away. No tears, no testimonial. Just a quiet goodbye to the Stade de la Beaujoire—well, Jean-Claude Suaudeau Park now. It was time.

**You spent 17 years at Nantes. Why stay so long?**

Because I found a place where football was still an art form. Nantes has a soul, a history of elegance—Henri Michel, Jean-Claude Suaudeau, José Arribas. When I arrived from Madrid, I was just a boy with a few minutes at the Bernabéu. Nantes taught me to think, to see the game as a canvas. The supporters, the city, the colours—they became mine. Loyalty is not a sacrifice when you are happy.

**You won four French Cups in a row from 2046 to 2050, three Ligue 1 titles in a row from 2052 to 2054. What was the secret?**

We had a generation that understood each other without speaking. On the pitch, we were one mind. The coaches gave us freedom, but they gave us discipline too. And the club believed in youth, in the academy. We were never the richest, but we were the most coherent. Four Cups in a row—that is not luck. That is identity.

**You also won the league and cup double in 2048, and the Olympic gold with Spain that same year. A golden period?**

Yes, 2047/48 and 2048/49 were magical. The double, the Trophée des Champions, the Olympic Games in Spain—I barely slept for two years. But I was young and in love with the game. When you are in that flow, you don't feel the tiredness. You just want the next match, the next trophy.

**You were named Ligue 1's Most Promising Player in 2047. Did you feel the weight of expectation?**

A little. Awards are beautiful, but they are also a mirror. You see yourself, and you wonder if you can be better. I tried to ignore the noise and focus on what I could control: my touch, my movement, my reading of the game. The trophies came because the team was strong, not because of one award.

**You scored 139 goals in 600 games for Nantes. Not bad for a player who was never a pure striker.**

I was always a creator first. But I learned to arrive in the box at the right moment, to smell the goal. Some of my goals were ugly, but most were beautiful—I hope. A pass into the net is still a pass.

**Do you miss the dressing room?**

Every day. The jokes, the arguments, the shared silence before a big match. That is what you cannot replace. The adrenaline, the crowd, the feeling of a perfect pass—I miss that too. But I don't miss the injuries, the travel, the pressure. Retirement is a strange country. You have to learn its language.

**What do you do now?**

I read. I walk. I watch Nantes when I can, but it hurts a little. I am not ready to coach, if that is your next question. Maybe one day I will return to football in some form, but not yet. I am learning to be still.

**Nantes are top of Ligue 1 right now. Do you see yourself in this team?**

They are playing with heart and intelligence. The coach has them organised but free. I see a little of our old spirit in them. I hope they win the title—for the city, for the fans. They deserve more of those moments.

**One last question: what was your most beautiful moment at Nantes?**

The fourth French Cup in a row, 2050. We knew we had made history, and the whole city was there in Paris. When I lifted that trophy, I felt the weight of all the years, all the work, all the love. It was not the biggest trophy, but it was the most Nantes. That is the one I keep in my heart.