We identify a simulated Milky Way analog in the eagle suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations .
This galaxy not only shares similar global properties as the Milky Way , but was specifically selected because its merger history resembles that currently known for the Milky Way .
In particular we find that this Milky Way analog has experienced its last significant merger ( with a stellar mass ratio \sim 0.2 ) at z \sim 1.2 .
We show that this merger affected both the dynamical properties of the stars present at the time , contributing to the formation of a thick disk , and also leading to a significant increase in the star formation rate of the host .
This object is thus particularly suitable for understanding the early evolutionary history of the Milky Way .
It is also an ideal candidate for re-simulation with much higher resolution as this would allow addressing a plethora of interesting questions such as , for example , the specific distribution of dark matter near the Sun .