Arsenal's Spanish midfielder #23 Mikel Merino celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 3, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO VIDEO EMULATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO USE IN BETTING PUBLICATIONS, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. /
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, who was 20 at the time, was travelling with his Dortmund teammates to the stadium for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Monaco when 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 the Spanish midfielder would normally have occupied, but he had moved to another seat because his legs were feeling tight.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Merino was quoted as saying, “The seats in the front reclined, so I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life,” Merino said in an interview with The Players’ Tribune.
“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 noise, smoke and panic that engulfed 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 following the blast.
He later went to the hospital to wait for his teammate Marc Bartra, who underwent surgery for a broken wrist sustained in the attack.
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.
Reflecting on the experience, Merino said he later drew strength from his narrow escape as he battled to recover from a stress fracture in his right foot and secure a place in Spain’s World Cup squad.
The injury, which occurred in February, threatened to rule him out of the tournament, with doctors initially predicting a six-month recovery period.
“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 reality of the diagnosis hit him emotionally when he informed 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.
Merino, who had featured in Spain’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup but missed out on the final squad, said he was determined not to let another opportunity slip away.
“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 accelerate 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 return for the final Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace on May 24.
Although the initial plan was for him to return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30, he believed he needed to prove 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.”
He said the appearance was crucial to his hopes 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.
Merino 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.
The midfielder said he immediately celebrated with his wife and son, Marco, as messages poured into 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 both the lasting impact of the Dortmund bombing and the determination that helped him overcome injury in pursuit of another major international tournament.