Mood Boost: Soccer Player Does CPR to Save Seagull Hit by the Ball

🇹🇷 In Turkey, during an amateur league match in Istanbul, a goalkeeper accidentally hit a seagull with the ball.

A player from one of the teams managed to perform CPR on the bird and saved its life. pic.twitter.com/USKsUMz2YR

— Russian Market (@runews) February 23, 2026

In the middle of a soccer game in Istanbul, the game suddenly stopped, but not for the reason you’d expect. A powerful kick accidentally struck a seagull flying over the field and knocked it down. As players and fans watched, team captain Gani Catan ran over, saw the bird wasn’t moving, and did something remarkable. He started performing CPR right there on the pitch. No hesitation, no concern about the clock or the score. After a couple of tense minutes, the seagull began to move again and was carried off safely. His team eventually lost the game, but he later said saving a life mattered more than winning.

It’s a small story, but it lands at the right moment. We’re used to competition bringing out intensity, ego, and sometimes the worst in people. Instead, this was a reminder of how natural compassion can be when someone simply chooses it. Thousands of people watched a sporting event pause so one person could help a helpless creature, and for a moment the result didn’t matter at all. Stories like this reset your perspective a bit. They remind us that kindness still shows up unexpectedly, even in the middle of ordinary days and competitive moments.