Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has revealed how a last-minute change of seats on Borussia Dortmund’s team bus may have saved his life during a bomb attack in Germany in 2017.
Merino was 20 when he travelled with his Dortmund teammates to the stadium for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Monaco. Three explosives packed with metal pins detonated as the bus passed a hedge.
A large piece of shrapnel became lodged in the headrest of the seat Merino would normally have occupied, but he had moved because his legs were feeling tight.
Speaking in an interview with The Players’ Tribune, as reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Merino explained how the change may have prevented him from being seriously injured.
“The seats in the front reclined, so I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life,” Merino said.
“I think I have an angel on my shoulder. I’m actually fortunate to be alive at all.”
The midfielder recalled the terrifying moments after the explosion, describing the deafening noise, smoke and panic that spread through the bus.
“A lot of young people probably would not even believe that it happened, or how bad it was, but it marked us all.
“There was a deafening noise, and then I remember the bus nearly tipping over,” he said.
Merino said he saw blood on the floor, smelled smoke and heard screams after the blast.
He later went to the hospital to wait for teammate Marc Bartra, who underwent surgery for a broken wrist sustained in the attack.
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The match against Monaco was postponed until the following day, a decision criticised by Dortmund’s then-manager Thomas Tuchel, who is now England’s head coach.
Sergei Wenergold, a German of Russian origin, was sentenced to prison in 2018 after admitting responsibility for the bombing.
Merino said the experience of narrowly escaping death later helped him draw strength as he battled a stress fracture in his right foot and fought to secure a place in Spain’s World Cup squad.
The injury occurred in February and threatened to rule him out of the tournament, with doctors initially predicting that his recovery would take six months.
“The doctor said, ‘six months’,” Merino said.
“I was too shocked to even feel sad. I just did the math in my head. The World Cup was four months away.”
He said the emotional impact of the diagnosis became real when he told his wife, Lola.
“When I told my wife, Lola, that’s when I broke down. My brain already understood, but my heart needed me to say it out loud,” he said.
Having featured in Spain’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup but missed out on the final squad, Merino was determined not to let another opportunity pass him by.
“I have to play. I will be at the World Cup, no matter what,” he said.
The midfielder revealed that he was willing to undergo a procedure involving the insertion of two screws into his foot to provide additional support and speed up his return.
“I put all the meat on the barbecue, as we say in Spain. They told me they could drill two screws into my foot to give it support. I was like, Vamos, put ’em in,” he said.
Merino also disclosed that he pushed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the club’s medical staff to allow him to feature in the final Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace on May 24.
The initial plan had been for him to return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30.
However, Merino believed he needed to demonstrate his fitness before Spain coach Luis de la Fuente announced his squad the following day.
“Zero minutes in four months. How do you call up a player like that?” he said.
“I spent all week arguing with the boss and the physios. The plan was for me to return for the Champions League final, and even that was risky.
“But I had to show Luis that I was ready. Finally, they agreed to give me half an hour against Palace.”
Merino said the appearance against Palace was crucial to his chances of making the squad.
“That day, I was playing for the World Cup, 100%. And after that, I thought I had a good chance,” he said.
He recalled watching the squad announcement on Spanish television from his sofa, anxiously waiting to hear his name.
“At some point, the screen showed a woman in a vineyard… Mikel Merino!” he said.
Merino said he immediately celebrated with his wife and son, Marco, as messages flooded his phone.
“I hugged Lola. I kissed Marco. My phone blew up with messages,” he said.
“I was going to the World Cup.”
His account highlights the lasting impact of the Dortmund bus bombing and the determination that helped him overcome injury in his pursuit of another major international tournament.
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