I could only see blood and smoke/ Arsenal star's account of the bitter night: I was lucky, I survived!

Mikel Merino talked about the difficult experience he had during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

Arsenal midfielder Merino, who was instrumental in Spain winning the 2026 World Cup, has admitted he feels lucky to be alive after his "guardian angel" prevented him from being injured in the attack on the Borussia Dortmund bus in 2017.

In an attack carried out by Sergei Wennergold, he hid three improvised explosive devices near the bushes and detonated them as the bus of the German team passed by. In the attack, Mark Bartra (who had to be hospitalized due to an injured hand) and a police officer who was no longer able to work were injured. The bus was on its way to a Champions League game against Monaco at the time.

"I think I have a guardian angel. In fact, I'm lucky to be alive," Merino admitted in a letter published in The Players' Tribune. He was 20 years old at the time and published this letter titled "To those who hugged me". "Certainly a lot of young people don't even believe it happened or how serious it was, but it affected all of us," recalls Mikel Merino. There was a terrible sound and then I remember that the bus almost overturned. I looked back and saw blood on the ground. Smoke, scream. I remember being in the hospital that night waiting for Marc Bartra who had a broken wrist.

The next day, someone told me that a large piece of shrapnel was stuck in the headrest of the seat next to Marc Bartra. My usual place. That day, that seat was empty... I felt a bit stiff in my legs and because the front seats were adjustable, I sat there. Maybe this saved my life. So, yes, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason."

Sergei Wennergold, the perpetrator of this attack, was charged with 28 counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He admitted in court that he did not intend to kill anyone and that he carried out the attack to take money by betting on the decline in the value of Borussia Dortmund's shares.

Recalling that terrifying moment, Mikel Merino spoke in The Players' Tribune about how a stress fracture in his right leg nearly ruled him out of the World Cup. "Last month I had to watch the saddest PowerPoint of my life," he said. I was sitting in a room in the training center, wearing an orthopedic boot. The club doctor and the head of physiotherapists were reviewing slide by slide.

We were trying to win the Premier League. The World Cup was about to start. My wife was pregnant. I was told there was a fracture. I thought: Well, I get it. how long does it take The doctor told me: six months. I was so shocked that I wasn't even upset. I calculated in my mind. There were four months left until the World Cup. I said to him: Are you sure??? And he said: Mikel, I'm sorry. This is impossible.

I drove home in silence, and when I told my wife, Lola, that's when I broke down. My mind understood this, but my heart needed to hear it out loud. The following days were one of the hardest days of my life. "The first thing I thought was, 'I can't believe this is happening again.'"