Arsenal
In the latest news, Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino says a seat change may have saved his life. He later beat a foot injury in 2026 to win the World Cup.
Mikel Merino recalls the Dortmund bus attack
As reported by BBC, explosives hit Dortmund’s bus in April 2017, before a Champions League tie against Monaco. Mikel Merino, then 20, was on board when three bombs packed with metal pins, hidden in a hedge, went off. A huge piece of shrapnel lodged in the headrest of his usual seat, beside teammate Marc Bartra. Merino had chosen a seat further forward because his legs felt tight and the front seats reclined. He believes that choice saved his life, and he still recalls the deafening noise and the blood.
That night, Merino waited at the hospital for Bartra, who needed surgery on a broken wrist. UEFA moved the Monaco tie to the next day, and Dortmund’s then head coach Thomas Tuchel criticised the decision. The attacker, Sergej Wenergold, had bet on Dortmund’s share price falling and was jailed for 14 years in 2018. Merino says many young people might not believe how bad the attack was, but it marked the whole squad.
Merino’s 2026/27 stats for Arsenal so far, as per FOTMOB:
Competition Matches Minutes played Chances created Defensive contributions Duels (won%)
Premier League 6 82 – – –
EFL Cup 1 90 4 2 41.7%
Champions League 2 130 2 3 46.7%
How the foot injury threatened his World Cup dream
In February 2026, a stress fracture in Merino’s right foot threatened his place at football’s biggest tournament. Doctors told him to expect six months out, and the World Cup was only four months away. Arsenal’s chief doctor had never seen a stress fracture there, after 30 years in the job. He called five top specialists, yet none could say how, or whether, he would recover. He says he was too shocked to feel sad and began doing the math in his head. He broke down only when he told his wife Lola, because saying it aloud made it real.
Merino had played in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup but missed the final squad. Doctors offered to insert two screws in his foot for support, and he accepted at once. He vowed to be at the World Cup whatever it took, as he could not face missing another. The memory of the Dortmund bus attack also helped him once the shock of the injury faded.
Spain football team
Spain football team
Late push at Arsenal and the call from Spain
Arsenal clinched their first Premier League title in 22 years on 19 May while Merino was still recovering. His focus was the last league game at Crystal Palace on 24 May, a day before Spain’s squad announcement. The plan was a return in the Champions League final, but he needed to prove his fitness sooner. So he argued all week with Mikel Arteta and the medical staff, having not played for almost four months. Arsenal agreed to give him 30 minutes at Palace, and he treated it as a trial for Spain.
The day after the Palace game, he sat on his sofa watching Spanish TV, hoping to hear his name. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente then picked him for his first World Cup. Merino hugged Lola and kissed his son Marco as his phone filled with messages. He came off the bench to score late winners against Portugal and Belgium in successive knockout games. Five months after the injury, Merino lifted the World Cup as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time.
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