A Turkish soccer player performed CPR on a seagull during a match and it actually worked

This is one of the more remarkable sports stories you are going to come across this week and it has absolutely nothing to do with the score. During an amateur league playoff final in Istanbul, a goalkeeper named Muhammed Uyanık launched a clearance that connected directly with a low-flying seagull in the 22nd minute.

The seagull went down immediately.

Team captain Gani Çatan ran over, assessed the situation, and started performing chest compressions on a seagull on a soccer pitch in front of everyone.

For nearly two minutes he pumped carefully on the bird’s ribcage while players and spectators stood in complete silence watching this unfold.

The referee apparently came over and was calling for help, which is a great detail because what exactly did he expect someone on the sideline to do in that moment.

There was not a seagull medical specialist standing by. Çatan was improvising in real time and he was the most qualified person available.

It worked. The seagull regained consciousness. Damaged wing, currently under treatment, but alive.

A Turkish footballer performed CPR on a seagull and it actually worked

VIDEO — Istanbul footballer performs CPR on seagull after it was struck by a ball during amateur match, reviving the bird before it was taken for treatment https://t.co/URjDbuJGtL pic.twitter.com/IzMMzBuxHP

— Daily Sabah (@DailySabah) February 24, 2026

“The first thing that came to my mind was heart massage because it couldn’t breathe, so I tried my luck,” Çatan said.

That is the quote of the year. Tried his luck. On a seagull. With chest compressions. During a playoff final.

Maybe it is a cultural thing but the first thought in that situation for most people is not to start performing CPR on a bird.

That is the fastest decision making of all time and it was the right call. Gani Çatan is a captain in every sense of the word.

Istanbul Yurdum Spor lost the match and was eliminated from the playoffs and he said the defeat mattered far less than helping the bird.

“We missed the championship, but saving a life was more important.”

Unreal.

Give this man whatever the Turkish amateur league equivalent of the Ballon d’Or is.

Join The Chase