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Dragisa Gudelj is in stable condition.
A picture of Gudelj on Instagram, with two thumbs up and a big wide smile in his hospital room, is proof of his speedy recovery after the cardiac arrest he suffered on Saturday during a game between Córdoba and Racing Ferrol in the Spanish third division.
Dragisa Gudelj cardiac arrest
The 25-year-old defender collapsed on the pitch in the 11th minute at El Arcángel Stadium.
Gudelj's teammates and the ref immediately saw the situation's seriousness and quickly activated the medical protocols. Córdoba doctors approached Gudelj and a cardiologist attending the game started to perform CPR on the player as soon as they noticed he was not reacting.
After two defibrillator shocks, doctors placed Gudelj on a stretcher and carried him to an ambulance already parked on the ground to send him to the closest hospital.
¡¡Fuerza, Gudelj!!
Los aplausos de las aficiones del @CordobaCF_ofi y del @racingferrolsad representan a todo el fútbol español.¡¡Estamos contigo, guerrero!!#PrimeraFederación https://t.co/Th0BzrtjQ7 pic.twitter.com/rtw69AJsQD
— Primera Federación (@Primera_RFEF) March 25, 2023
Fortunately, just when Gudelj was being set up inside the ambulance, he regained his conscience and people started to clap and chant his name in relief. Gudelj sat on the stretcher, confused, and tried to come back into the game as if nothing had happened, but teammates and his dad — who also entered the pitch — convinced him to go to the hospital.
In the hospital, doctors checked Gudelj's vitals — all were normal — and recommended keeping him for observation over a couple of days.
Nemanja Gudelj, Dragisa's brother and a Sevilla player and Serbian international, thanked everybody for the support shown to their family during this challenging moment, especially to the doctors who saved his brother's life.
View this post on Instagram
"The true warrior is on his feet! Because people say he never gives up!" he wrote.
