A heart defect, a tick, and malaria medication. The Pole was 28 years old. Everything fell apart.

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When Konrad Gołoś moved from Polonia Warszawa to star-studded Wisła Kraków after his debut season in the Ekstraklasa, it seemed his career was just beginning to gain momentum. He was 23 years old, had made his debut for the Polish national team, and was already considered one of the most talented attacking midfielders of his generation.

After his transfer to "Biały Gwiazda," the Siedlce native suffered his first blow. Two days after his first training session with Wisła, a cardiologist detected a heart defect and refused to allow him to play. Gołoś was facing surgery, and the player went from doctor to doctor, only to be finally told—after numerous consultations—that he could continue his career and that the heart defect was not life-threatening. "Physically, I'm making progress, I'm constantly moving forward. If I have any problems, let them show me someone stronger than me," he said a few months after returning to the pitch.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the footballer's health problems. In the summer of 2008, Konrad Gołoś underwent surgery on an injured knee (he was on loan at Górnik Zabrze at the time), and during rehabilitation, he was bitten by a tick, which led to Lyme disease. "Lyme disease actually affects the joints as well. I don't know how much it affected my knee in my case, but I can't rule it out," he recounted years later in an interview with WP SportoweFakty.

As it later turned out, this was the beginning of the end of his career. Knee problems faded into the background, and the three-time Polish national team player began fighting to return to a normal life.

"At first, I had a fever. A little over 37 degrees Celsius. And I was sweating profusely at night because of co-infections. Then I took medication for malaria. At first, it didn't seem serious. Besides, these attacks happened maybe once a month. Over time, they started to appear once every two weeks. I was completely out of it for three days. I was exhausted, staring at a certain spot for a long time," Gołoś recounted in 2017 in WP SportoweFakty.

In July 2010, 28-year-old Konrad Gołoś announced his retirement from football. "I trained with Górnik, but I felt constant pain in my knee. The longer I trained, the worse the pain became. Playing for Górnik for a year would have affected my health. I don't want to cheat the club that has extended a helping hand to me. I don't want to cheat the president, the coach, or my fellow players. That's why I can't sign a contract with Górnik," he explained on Wisła Kraków's official website.

Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis are diseases caused by ticks and can have serious health consequences. Experts warn against ignoring these alarming symptoms. Lyme disease is a bacterial disease, while tick-borne encephalitis is caused by viruses. Some of the most common symptoms following a tick bite include joint pain, fever, headaches, and general fatigue.

Lech Poznań captain Mikael Ishak also struggled with Lyme disease, having been diagnosed in May 2023. The Swede was also facing the premature end of his career. "I felt very bad for three and a half months. I was coughing constantly, I had no energy or joy, and my muscles ached. I continued training, but since I never stopped coughing, I asked for a more thorough checkup," Ishak told the Swedish newspaper "Länstidningen Södertälje."

After tests, it turned out the Lech Poznań striker had Lyme disease. If the player hadn't insisted on a more thorough checkup, it could have ended badly. "I'm feeling better, but I still don't feel well. Lyme disease is no joke; if you have it in your body for a long time, it can attack your nerves, and you can be half-paralyzed until it disappears. I don't know if I was at the end of my rope at the time or how long I had it, but the doctors were concerned," explained the Swedish Lech Poznań striker.