How a Seat Change Saved Mikel Merino's Life and Led to World Cup Glory
Mikel Merino, now an Arsenal midfielder, has revealed that a simple decision to switch seats on the team bus may have saved his life during a harrowing incident at Borussia Dortmund.
Back in 2017, when Merino was just 20, the Dortmund squad was targeted by an explosion on their way to a Champions League semi-final against Monaco. Three bombs, laden with metal shrapnel, detonated as the bus rolled past.
A large piece of debris ended up in the headrest of the seat Merino typically occupied. Thankfully, he chose to sit elsewhere that day because his legs were feeling tight. "The seats in the front reclined so I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life," he shared in a candid interview with The Players' Tribune.
"I think I have an angel on my shoulder. I'm actually fortunate to be alive at all," he reflected. The traumatic event left a deep mark on him and his teammates. Merino recalled the deafening noise and the bus nearly tipping over, followed by the chaotic scene of blood, smoke, and screams.
After the attack, he went to the hospital to support his teammate Marc Bartra, who sustained a broken wrist. The match against Monaco was postponed to the next day, drawing criticism from Dortmund's then-manager, Thomas Tuchel.
In 2018, Sergei Wenergold, a German-Russian national, was sentenced to prison for his role in the attack.
Merino's reflections were part of a broader discussion about his impressive comeback from a stress fracture in his foot. Just five months after the injury, he lifted the World Cup trophy with Spain.
"The doctor said, 'six months,'" he recalled, noting his disbelief at the diagnosis. "I was too shocked to even feel sad. I just did the math in my head. The World Cup was four months away."
It was only when he shared the news with his wife, Lola, that the reality hit him hard. "That's when I broke down. My brain already understood, but my heart needed me to say it out loud."
Merino used his brush with danger on the Dortmund bus as motivation, believing that everything happens for a reason. Having participated in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup but missing the final squad, he was determined not to let that happen again. "I have to play. I will be at the World Cup, no matter what," he declared.
"I put all the meat on the barbecue, as we say in Spain. They could drill two screws into my foot for support, and I said, 'Vamos, put 'em in.'"
While celebrating Arsenal's first Premier League title in 22 years, his mind was set on the final game of the season against Crystal Palace on May 24, just before Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente announced the World Cup squad.
"Zero minutes in four months. How do you call up a player like that?" Merino questioned. He spent the week persuading Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, and the physios to let him play. The initial plan was for him to return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, which felt risky. However, he needed to prove he was fit for the World Cup, so he finally got half an hour against Palace.
"That day, I was playing for the World Cup, 100%. After that, I thought I had a good shot."
The next day, as he sat on his sofa watching Spanish TV, he anxiously awaited the team announcement. When he heard his name, it was pure joy. "I hugged Lola. I kissed my son Marco. My phone blew up with messages. I was going to the World Cup."
