Arsenal star says a seat change saved his life during horror bus attack

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FT Desk

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has recalled how a last-minute seat change likely saved his life when the Borussia Dortmund team bus was attacked in 2017.

Dortmund were on their way to face Monaco in the home leg of a Champions League quarter-final tie when the bus was hit by explosives at the side of the road. Three bombs were filled with metal bins and placed in a hedge strategically positioned on the bus route to the stadium.

Merino was just 20-years-old at the time and, in what proved to be an incredible moment of luck, he moved from a seat that was subsequently struck by a piece of metal on the headrest. He chose to move 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," the World Cup winner told The Players' Tribune.

"I think I have an angel on my shoulder. I'm actually fortunate to be alive at all.

"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."

Merino recalls seeing blood on the floor as well as smoke billowing throughout the bus. Later that evening, he visited team-mate Marc Bartra in hospital after he suffered a badly fractured arm.

"I looked behind me and saw blood on the floor", he continued.

"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."

The bombing was carried out by Sergej Wenergold, a German-Russian man. His motive was financial gain: he had placed bets designed to profit if the club’s share price fell after the attack. He was convicted of 28 counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison in November 2018.

The quarter-final against Monaco was postponed until the next day by UEFA - a decision which was criticised by then-Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel.

"We were told by text message that Uefa was making this decision," said Tuchel.

"A decision made in Switzerland that concerns us directly. We will not forget it, it is a very bad feeling.

"Of course we have to keep it going, but we still want to be competitive. We do not want to use the situation as an excuse.

"We wished we would have had more time to deal with what happened, but someone in Switzerland decided we must play."

Dortmund went on to lose the match 3-2 at home and the second leg 3-1 away.