Goalkeeper With Bullet In Skull Plays Full Game, Wonders Why Head Hurts

A bullet in the skull wasn’t enough to deter one goalkeeper from finishing his match.

Bosnian goalkeeper Duško Krtalica competed in a tournament in the Sarajevo suburb Boljakov Potok, when his head started to hurt. The 51-year-old shrugged it off and kept playing anyway, believing that his headache was caused by knocking his head into a goal post while he was trying to make a save.

He kept playing for 90 minutes and completed the match, but things quickly got worse for him. His arm got stiff and he started to have difficulty speaking. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors revealed to him that a 9mm bullet was lodged in his skull.

He was immediately taken to neurosurgery and the bullet was removed. The operation was a success, and Krtalica was said to be in stable condition.

There are many questions raised by this story that are still unanswered. First and foremost, how the heck did he not notice that he was shot in the head? Also, who shot him while he was competing in a tournament?

Local police did actually come up with a theory for that last query. Apparently, three weddings took place in the area that day, and, at one, someone fired their handgun in celebration. One of the stray bullets must have somehow hit Krtalica.

Police have arrested a 42-year-old in connection with the shooting.

By the way, Krtalica only missed one goal during 90 minutes of play with a bullet in his head.

[Image via: Antonio Gravante / Shutterstock]