It was New Year’s Eve 2020, and we decided it might be fun to let off some fireworks. I was midway through my first season as a Galatasaray player, and one of my best friends had come over to celebrate with my wife and three young children.
It was still quite early, around 9pm – we’d just had a pleasant meal together, the kids were getting tired and we thought we’d give them one last treat before they headed up to bed. We all went out by the swimming pool and lit them a sparkler each, while we prepared the fireworks. I had no idea that my life was about to change forever.
I lit the first firework, then we stood back and watched as it fizzed into the sky and exploded. Then a second; everyone was smiling, having a nice time. The third was a bit too loud, so my wife took the kids onto the balcony to watch from there.
I decided to do one more before we went back inside to enjoy our evening – only this firework was a lot different from the others. The moment that the flame touched the fuse, it exploded immediately; not like a firework usually does, shooting into the air and booming there. No… this thing went off like a stick of
