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
Arsenal's title ambitions last season suffered a setback after a draw to Wolves in February. Michael Regan/Getty Images 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.