Croatian Third Tier Footballer Tragically Passes Away After Being Struck in the Chest by Ball

Bruno Boban, a footballer playing in the Croatian Third Football League, tragically died over the weekend after being struck in the chest by the ball from close range while paying for Slavonia based club NK Marsonia as they faced off against Eastern division strugglers Slavonija Pozega.

The 25-year-old was hit in the chest by the ball from close range, and appeared to be fine immediately after as his goalkeeper gathered the ball for a goal kick. However, moments later Boban hunched over on the ground, clearly in discomfort, before losing consciousness completely.

Both teams' players and medics rushed to Boban's aid, with the medics attempting to revive him for 40 continuous minutes, but were sadly unsuccessful.

Boban was pronounced dead on the pitch however, the cause of his death remains unknown, although it may be linked to an operation he underwent in 2014, with the Croatian having posted an image to his Instagram account four years prior picturing him in a hospital bed with the caption ‘operation performed successfully’.

After Boban passed away NK Marsonia paid tribute to the striker via Facebook, writing: "All Marsini players, members of the board and club staff express deep condolences to the family family for this tragic loss. Bruno, God rest his soul."

The death of Boban, who was a relative of former AC Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban, comes just three weeks after the tragic passing of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori.