Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has revisited one of the most frightening experiences of his life, revealing how an unexpected change of seat may have saved him from serious injury or death when Borussia Dortmund’s team bus was bombed in April 2017.

Sometimes, the smallest decisions have consequences that cannot be understood until much later.

For Mikel Merino, a young footballer travelling with Borussia Dortmund almost a decade ago, that decision involved nothing more than choosing a different seat on the team bus.

The Spanish midfielder has revealed that he normally sat beside defender Marc Bartra, whose seat was close to where a large piece of shrapnel became lodged in the headrest following the attack. On that particular journey, however, Merino moved to the front of the bus because his legs felt tight and he wanted a seat that reclined.

Minutes later, three explosive devices detonated near the vehicle.

Looking back on the incident, Merino has described himself as fortunate to be alive. His account provides a deeply personal reminder of the human cost of an attack that shocked European football and left Dortmund’s players confronting a situation none could have anticipated.

The midfielder’s recollections also show how the experience stayed with him long after he left Germany, influencing the way he views football, personal setbacks and the uncertainty of life.

The Seat That Could Have Changed Everything

Merino was only 20 when Borussia Dortmund’s team bus came under attack on April 11, 2017.

The squad was travelling towards the Westfalenstadion ahead of the first leg of its Champions League quarter-final against Monaco when three homemade pipe bombs exploded near the vehicle.

The devices had been concealed beside the road and contained metal pins. Their detonation damaged the bus and sent shockwaves through the team.

Merino has now explained that he would ordinarily have occupied a seat beside Bartra. Instead, discomfort in his legs prompted him to move forward, where the seats reclined.

That apparently routine decision placed him away from the seat he would usually have occupied.

According to his account, a large piece of shrapnel was later found embedded in the headrest of his usual seat.

The discovery made the significance of his decision painfully clear. Had he remained in his normal position, he might have been directly exposed to the flying debris.

Merino believes the change may have saved his life.

In his account published by The Players’ Tribune, he reflected on how narrowly he had escaped the consequences of the explosion, describing himself as fortunate to be alive.

It is impossible to establish precisely what would have happened had he remained in his usual seat. But the shrapnel lodged in the headrest illustrates just how close the midfielder may have come to suffering a devastating injury.

‘We Thought We Were Going to Die’

The incident was not simply a frightening moment followed by a return to normality. For the players on board, it was an experience involving confusion, fear and uncertainty about whether further danger lay ahead.

In an interview with The Guardian in October 2017, Merino recalled the terror surrounding the attack. He described how the explosion transformed an ordinary journey to a football match into a moment when the players feared for their lives.

The bus was rocked by the blasts, while smoke, screams and injuries created a scene that few of the young players could have imagined encountering.

Bartra suffered injuries to his wrist and required surgery. A police motorcycle outrider was also injured.

Merino later accompanied Bartra to hospital and remained with him while he received treatment. The experience brought the two players together during a moment when football had become secondary to the safety and wellbeing of the people involved.

The match against Monaco was postponed until the following day.

For Dortmund, the attack was a traumatic interruption to a season in which the club had been preparing for one of European football’s biggest fixtures. For the players, however, the consequences extended beyond the rearrangement of a match.

They had experienced a genuine threat to their lives.

The incident also raised serious questions about player safety and the circumstances in which major sporting events should proceed after an attack. Dortmund’s players and coaching staff had to process what had happened while facing the prospect of returning to competition.

An Experience That Changed His Perspective

Merino’s latest reflections suggest that the bombing remains an important part of how he understands his life and career.

Professional football places enormous pressure on players. Results, selection decisions, injuries and public criticism can dominate their attention, particularly when they are competing at the highest level.

Merino’s experience in Dortmund offered a different perspective.

When a person has faced a situation in which their life could have been taken away without warning, the usual concerns surrounding professional sport can appear less significant.

That does not mean the demands of football disappear. Elite players still have to manage expectations, recover from setbacks and perform under pressure. But their experiences away from the pitch can change how they respond to those demands.

Merino has spoken previously about how the attack altered his outlook on life. In his 2017 interview with The Guardian, he explained that the experience encouraged him to focus on what mattered and appreciate being alive.

His latest account revisits that message with the benefit of years of perspective.

The seat change itself was a small decision made for an ordinary reason. Its possible consequences became apparent only after the attack.

It is a reminder that people cannot always predict which moments will become defining experiences in their lives.

For Merino, the lesson is not simply about luck. It is also about perspective: understanding that a football career, however important, exists within a much larger life.

The Human Cost Behind Football’s Biggest Moments

The Dortmund bombing remains a significant moment in modern football history because it brought the threat of a targeted attack directly into the lives of players preparing for a major European fixture.

Footballers are often discussed through statistics, transfer fees, trophies and performances. Their lives can appear distant from those of ordinary supporters because they operate in a world of packed stadiums, international travel and intense public attention.

But the Dortmund incident exposed a more vulnerable reality.

The players were not simply members of a professional squad. They were people travelling together when an act of violence placed their lives in danger.

Bartra’s injuries, the fear experienced by those on the bus and Merino’s narrow escape illustrated how quickly a sporting occasion could become a personal tragedy.

The attack also had consequences beyond the immediate injuries. Returning to the team bus and travelling to matches could no longer be treated as entirely routine for those who had experienced the incident.

In his earlier reflections, Merino described how subsequent journeys could bring renewed tension, particularly when delays occurred. Such reactions help explain why the effects of a traumatic event cannot always be measured by physical injuries alone.

For supporters, the story offers a reminder to look beyond the performances that appear on television screens. Players carry personal histories and experiences that may never be visible during a match.

Merino’s account is powerful precisely because it reveals a part of his life that has nothing to do with goals, assists or tactical responsibilities.

From Dortmund to Arsenal: A Career Beyond One Night

Merino’s football journey has continued since his time in Germany.

After leaving Dortmund, he played for Newcastle United and Real Sociedad before joining Arsenal in 2024. His career has taken him through different leagues and footballing environments, but the Dortmund bombing remains a defining personal experience.

His reflections arrive at a time when he is also discussing the challenges of professional football, including the physical and mental demands of recovering from a serious injury.

Such setbacks can test a player’s confidence. Rehabilitation can be lengthy, progress is not always straightforward, and uncertainty about returning to competition can become difficult to manage.

Experiences such as the Dortmund attack may help explain why Merino places particular value on perspective. The challenges of football remain real, but they form part of a life that could have taken a very different course.

It would be simplistic to suggest that surviving a traumatic event makes every later challenge easy. Merino’s story does not erase the difficulty of injuries or the pressure of elite sport.

Instead, it shows how a person’s understanding of adversity can evolve over time.

The midfielder has continued to build his career after an experience that could have ended very differently. His account is not a claim that fate guarantees a positive outcome; it is a reflection on how unexpectedly close he came to a devastating one.

Why Merino’s Story Matters

The significance of Merino’s revelation lies in the contrast between the ordinary decision he made and the extraordinary circumstances that followed.

He moved seats because his legs felt tight. The choice was practical and unremarkable. Yet the shrapnel later found in the headrest of his usual seat gave that decision a significance he could never have anticipated.

There is no way to know with certainty what would have happened had he stayed where he normally sat. What is clear is that the attack exposed the Dortmund players to a terrifying danger and left a lasting impression on those who experienced it.

Merino’s willingness to revisit the event offers supporters a chance to understand the person behind the Arsenal shirt.

It also places the pressures of modern football in a wider context. Professional players are expected to perform consistently, handle scrutiny and overcome setbacks. But they are not immune to fear, trauma or the unpredictability that shapes every human life.

For Merino, the memory of Dortmund is a reminder of how close he came to a different outcome.

A change of seat cannot explain everything that happened that night. It can, however, help explain why he now speaks about the experience with such gratitude.

For a footballer whose career is measured in matches and milestones, the most important moment may have been the one in which he realised just how fortunate he was to have another day.

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