Merlin, a two-year-old duck dressed in a miniature Mexico jersey has become an unlikely internet sensation and the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/fifa-world-cup-2026-jude-bellingham-is-our-x-factor-jordan-henderson-23635471" rel="nofollow">FIFA World Cup</a>&rsquo;s first unofficial mascot.
Images of Merlin parading through Mexico City have quickly gone viral, racking up millions of views across social media platforms.
&ldquo;We want to see Merlin in the stadium,&rdquo; one social media user wrote. &ldquo;This duck is already a national treasure,&rdquo; said another. &ldquo;The best thing about the World Cup so far,&rdquo; declared a third.
In Mexico City, however, Merlin was already something of a local celebrity. A familiar sight at fairs and events in the historic city centre, the duck regularly accompanies his owner, Carla Gomez, who sells water and soft drinks from a little cart each weekend.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t like to leave him alone at home; we like him to be with us. He&rsquo;s our baby,&rdquo; Gomez said.
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“We don’t like to leave him alone at home; we like him to be with us. He’s our baby,” Gomez said

FIFA World Cup 2026: Merlin the duck becomes internet's new sensation

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