Someone was trying to kill us. I now look at life much differently

TOON NEW BOY MERINO ON DORTMUND BUS ATTACK

“WE were scared for our lives. Someone sent three bombs to try and kill us.”

It is four months on from an explosion which was intended to wipe out the entire Borussia Dortmund squad, but Mikel Merino relives it as if it was yesterday.

From the way he describes the events which unfolded, you get the distinct impression that Newcastle United’s latest signing is unlikely to ever forget the intricate details of that fateful day.

The reggaeton music he was listening to before the explosion, the ‘peeeeeeeee sound’ ringing in his ears in the immediate aftermath that he acts out himself – the fear that, having survived the initial bomb blast, terrorists were about to storm the bus.

It will always be there, in the back of his mind.

“It was really hard to live this experience. It is an experience that is hard but helps you to see your life with all of your eyes,” Merino, the 21-year-old Spanish midfielder who the Magpies signed from Dortmund last month on an initial season-long loan, recalls.

On April 11, the Dortmund team bus was attacked by three roadside bombs as it headed towards the Westfalenstadion for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Monaco.

Defender Marc Bartra, Merino’s close friend, suffered a shattered wrist and a policeman was also wounded in the attack.

“When I was in the bus, I had my headphones on at the highest volume I can. Normally listening to Spanish music, reggaeton music,” Merino continues.

“Then I hear a really noisy sound, an explosion. It was incredible – the ears started doing a sound,” at which point he stops and makes a ‘peeeeeeeeeeeeee’ sound.

“Then you look out the window, you see it full of dust and you don’t know what is happening.

“The bus moves to one side and almost to the left on two wheels. We are totally scared. We know that it has been and you expect everything. It is really an explosion and people are screaming hard to experience.” to the driver, ‘Get out [of here], get out!’. Thankfully, and rather miraculously, But you don’t know what is going to there were no fatalities and the rest of happen. the Dortmund squad escaped largely

“There could be more bombs or unharmed physically. someone could come to kill us. The Emotionally and psychologically, driver could not hear out of one ear. however, the after effects are still being

“At the end, we wentfelt.forward,we stopped the bus 100 metres in front, we Merino, seemingly a wise head on go out and Marc had some injuries to young shoulders, has been able to use his arm. the attack – which, remarkably, was

“I went with him to the hospital to allegedly orchestrated by a man who take care of him and be with him hoped to drive the Dortmund share because it was really hard for him. He price down in order to make a profit – to was white, he didn’t know where he help put life into perspective. was. He may not have played much in the

“We were scared for our lives. We are North Rhine-Westphalia last season, in a moment where we don’t know what but Merino has taken the positives from is going on and what is possibly going to his year-long spell at the Westfalenstahappen. dion.

“Someone sent three bombs to try “At the end, everything was fine, and kill us. We had not died so we nobody got injured apart from Marc thought, ‘They put bombs to kill us, we and it was not a big thing for him,” Meridid not die. Are they going to come here no adds. to kill us with guns and everything?’. “Now I look at it as an experience I

“At this moment, you cannot know hope not to repeat.