Mikel Merino Shares Near-Death Experience from Dortmund Bus Bombing

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has shared how a last-minute seat change on Borussia Dortmund’s team bus possibly saved his life during a bombing in Germany in 2017.

Merino was 20 years old then. He was on the bus with his Dortmund teammates, heading to the stadium for their Champions League quarter-final match against Monaco. Three bombs filled with metal pins exploded as the bus passed a hedge.

A big piece of shrapnel ended up lodged in the headrest of the seat Merino would usually sit in. But he had moved to another seat because his legs felt tight.

As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Merino said, "The seats in the front reclined, so I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life." He spoke 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 described the scary moments after the explosion. He spoke about the noise, smoke, and the panic that filled 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 saw blood on the floor, smelled smoke, and heard screams after the blast. He later went to the hospital to wait for his teammate Marc Bartra, who had surgery for a broken wrist from the attack.

The match against Monaco was postponed until the next day. Dortmund’s then-manager Thomas Tuchel, who is now England’s coach, criticized this decision. Sergei Wenergold, a German of Russian origin, was sentenced to prison in 2018 for his role in the bombing.

Looking back, Merino said he found strength from his close call as he recovered from a stress fracture in his right foot. This injury happened in February and almost kept him out of the World Cup. Doctors said he would need six months to recover.

"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 felt the reality hit him emotionally 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.

Merino, who played in Spain’s qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup but missed the final squad, was determined not to miss another chance. "I have to play. I will be at the World Cup, no matter what,” he said.

He shared that he was willing to have two screws put into his foot to help speed up his recovery. "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 pushed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the medical team to let him play in the last Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace on May 24. The plan was for him to return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30, but he needed to prove he was fit before Spain coach Luis de la Fuente named his squad.

"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 that appearance was crucial for his World Cup hopes. "That day, I was playing for the World Cup, 100%. And after that, I thought I had a good chance," he said.

Merino remembered watching the squad announcement on Spanish TV from his sofa, waiting nervously to hear his name. "At some point, the screen showed a woman in a vineyard… Mikel Merino!" he exclaimed.

He celebrated immediately 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 story shows the lasting impact of the Dortmund bombing and the determination that helped him recover from injury to chase another big international tournament.