In the world of sports, it’s not unusual to hear of players working through physical and mental maladies for the sake of the games they love. In fact, some might say that these kinds of amazing stories are a large part of what keeps fans interested.

But we’re not sure how many players can claim they’ve played a soccer game with a bullet in their brain pan!

The goalie position on a soccer team is a fairly important one. That person is the last line of defense against the other team, so we can imagine that they feel a bit more pressure than some of their teammates. One Bosnian goalkeeper took his position so seriously, in fact, that when he was hit in the head with a bullet, he kept playing! Until the end of the game!

  • Sudden pain

Duško Krtalica, the goalie, was playing in an amateur tournament in Serajevo City on the day of the game. Suddenly, he felt a smack to the head and an intense pain, but he just assumed his head had ran into the goal post. Gritting his teeth, the goalie kept playing, giving up only one point.

  • Taken to the hospital after the game

However, once the game was over, the goalie noticed that his arm was numb and that he was having trouble speaking. This didn’t seem like a normal injury, so Duško was taken directly to the hospital.

  • Hit in the head with a bullet

The doctors had quite a shock when they got to Duško. Upon examining him, they found a 9mm bullet lodged in his skull! So that smack he’d felt during the game wasn’t the goalpost but a bullet! The medical staff immediately proceeded with surgery to remove the bullet. According to a hospital spokesperson, there were no complications during the surgery and, while Duško was still in the intensive care unit, he was in excellent condition.

  • A celebratory bullet

So, where did the bullet come from? We know soccer fans can be pretty passionate, but it’s hard to imagine someone trying to kill an amateur goalkeeper. Following a police investigation, it was discovered that there had been a wedding in the adjacent neighborhood and one 42-year-old man had been celebrating by firing rounds into the sky. Bullets from the gun were found around the soccer field, and the man was arrested.

Getting hit in the head with a stray bullet is quite possibly the definition of bad luck. But playing through the pain—and playing well—is extremely impressive! And it shows a true dedication to the sport. We hope some professional teams out there are watching—this guy could be the next big goalie! We also want to wish him a fast and complete recovery.

Source: Dnevni avaz (Croatian)