Omar Jesús Merlo (; born 12 June 1987) is a former

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

naturalized

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Career

Merlo made his first team debut for Colón in 2006, and quickly established himself as a regular member of the first team squad. In February 2008, he signed up with powerhouse team River Plate, where he won the Torneo Clausura. Seasons later, Merlo was a key player at the squad of

Primera División Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

club Huachipato that earned 2012 Torneo Clausura, scoring the winning penalty in the final. In January 2024, he announced his retirement after playing for

Curicó Unido Curicó Unido is a football club based in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. They currently play in the Primera División, the first level of the Chilean football system. They are currently managed by Damián Muñoz. History Curicó Unido was found ...

in the

2023 Chilean Primera División The 2023 Chilean Primera División, known as Campeonato Betsson 2023 for sponsorship purposes, is the 93rd season of the Chilean Primera División, Chile's top-flight football league. The season began on 20 January and is scheduled to end on 10 De ...

Personal life

Merlo naturalized Chilean by residence when he was a player of Huachipato.

Honours

River Plate * Torneo Clausura (1): 2008 Clausura Huachipato * Primera División de Chile (1): 2012 Clausura Sporting Cristal *

Peruvian Primera División The Peru First Division (; ''First Division'') —known as Liga 1 Betsson for sponsorship reasons and officially as Liga 1 — is the top flight of association football in Peru. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since 1966, when ...

(1):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* Copa Bicentenario (1):

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* Torneo Apertura (1):

* Torneo Clausura; runner-up:

References

External links

* *
Argentine Primera statistics

Merlo at Football-Lineups
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlo, Omar 1986 births Living people Footballers from Santa Fe, Argentina Argentine men's footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine emigrants to Chile Naturalized citizens of Chile Chilean men's footballers Chilean expatriate men's footballers Men's association football defenders Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Colón footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Primera B Metropolitana players Club Atlético Platense footballers Chilean Primera División players Unión San Felipe footballers Huachipato FC footballers Curicó Unido footballers Peruvian Primera División players Sporting Cristal footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Chile Expatriate men's footballers in Peru Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Chile Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Peru Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Peru