Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has revealed that a last-minute change of seat on Borussia Dortmund’s team bus may have saved his life when the vehicle was targeted in a bomb attack in 2017.
Merino was 20 when three explosives packed with metal pins and hidden in a hedge detonated as Dortmund travelled to face Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
A large piece of shrapnel struck the headrest of the seat he would normally have occupied. However, the Spaniard had moved to the front of the bus because his “legs were feeling a bit tight”.
“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.”
Recalling the terrifying incident, Merino described a deafening explosion that nearly overturned the bus, while smoke, screams and blood filled the vehicle.
He later went to hospital to await news of teammate Marc Bartra, who underwent surgery for a broken wrist sustained in the attack.
The match was postponed until the following day. In 2018, German national Thomas Wenergold was jailed after admitting to carrying out the bombing.
Merino also discussed his recovery from a stress fracture in his right foot, which he suffered in February, and his determination to secure a place in Spain’s World Cup squad.
Doctors initially warned that the injury could keep him out for six months, with the tournament just four months away.
“I was too shocked to even feel sad. I just did the math in my head,” he said. “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.”
The midfielder explained that surviving the Dortmund bombing became a source of motivation during his rehabilitation.
After undergoing surgery, he returned to action towards the end of the season and featured for Arsenal against Crystal Palace before Spain announced its squad the following day.
“I have to play. I will be at the World Cup, no matter what,” he said.
Merino ultimately earned a place in Spain’s squad and went on to lift the 2026 World Cup, capping a remarkable comeback from injury.