Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino said he is "fortunate to be alive" after switching seats on the Borussia Dortmund bus during a 2017 attack. Three pipe bombs went off, smashing windows as the team traveled to a match. Merino moved seats because his legs felt tight, which likely saved him.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has said he is "fortunate to be alive" after switching seats on the Borussia Dortmund team bus that came under attack in 2017.
Dortmund were on their way to the Westfallenstadion for a Champions League quarterfinal in 2017 when three pipe bombs went off and smashed the windows of their bus. The bus nearly toppled over and while there were no casualties, defender Marc Bartra badly cut his wrist.
"I think I have an angel on my shoulder. I'm actually fortunate to be alive at all," he said in an interview to The Players Tribune.
"I was 20 and playing for Dortmund when three pipe bombs went off right next to our bus on the way to a Champions League match. 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. I looked behind me and saw blood on the floor. Smoke, screams. I remember being at the hospital later that night, waiting for Marc Bartra, who had his wrist badly cut up. The next day, someone told me that a huge piece of shrapnel was lodged in the headrest of the seat next to Marc. My usual seat.
"That day, the seat was empty. My legs were feeling a bit tight, and the seats in the front reclined. So I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life.
"So yeah, I just have this belief that things happen for a reason."
The moment he realised Arsenal would win the Premier League
Merino left Dortmund in 2017 and had spells at Newcastle and Real Sociedad before joining Arsenal in 2024. He was part of the side that ended the Gunners' 22-year wait for a league title.
He revealed that the conversations in the dressing room in the aftermath of Arsenal's draw to Wolves last season was when he realised they would win the Premier League.
While the Gunners eventually finished seven points clear of second-place Manchester City, it was a hard-fought title race in which the Gunners wobbled on a few occassions.
The draw at Molineux in mid-February was one of them. Arsenal were 2-0 up against bottom-side Wolves before throwing away their lead in dramatic fashion. It was the second time in three games they had dropped points and with a trip to local rivals Tottenham to follow, their title push appeared on the brink of collapse.
"To be honest, there were doubts inside the team too," Merino said.
"Giving away a 2-0 lead should never happen. But the day after the game, the players had a meeting inside the dressing room, without the boss. Everyone spoke up. Nobody talked about tactics. This was about how a group of human beings handle adversity together.
"I spoke about how I saw the team from the outside [Merino was injured at the time], and I said that this was something we as players had to handle, because the boss couldn't do everything for us. When one person has so many tasks at one club, you need leaders who can figure things out on their own.
"Well, at this club, we do. In my view, that was the day we won the title.
"Even when we lost to Bournemouth and City [in subsequent weeks], that meeting kept us together. We decided to use all the criticism as fuel, and thanks to social media we saw everything."
Merino spoke of how the players laughed at the infamous Man City 'bottle fan' and the role Mikel Arteta played in keeping the squad together during the run-in.
"The boss was on fire. Every team talk, he reached into our hearts. He spoke about looking out for one another, like a family. The culture we have is thanks to him. Even when the world expected us to collapse, I felt confident that the title would be ours," he said.
Merino missed a large chunk of the title-winning season through injury, making just 22 appearances in the league. However, the four goals he scored -- a winner at Newcastle, an equaliser against Chelsea as well as goals against Brentford and Manchester United -- were of huge importance.
He sealed his return on the final day of the season, coming off the bench in the win over Crystal Palace. Despite the title having already been sealed by then, Merino didn't take the game lightly as he was still fighting for a spot in Spain's World Cup squad and had to prove his fitness.
"The plan was for me to return for the Champions League final, and even that was risky. But I had to show Luis [De La Fuente] that I was ready. Finally, they agreed to give me half an hour against Palace. The weird part was that I felt like a rookie, like I had to relearn how to play football.
- Arsenal's Eberechi Eze to perform Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired celebration after loss to IShowSpeed
- Mikel Merino says Arsenal are 'ready' for Premier League, Champions League double
"The other guys were so relaxed now that the title was won, but when I came on, I was a wreck. The ball went so fast I could barely see it. I was exhausted. That day, I was playing for the World Cup, 100%. And after that, I thought I had a good chance," he said.
Merino was eventually picked for the World Cup and scored the winners in the round of 16 and the quarterfinal as Spain were crowned world champions.