Denmark's Christian Eriksen collapsed during a World Cup friendly against Ukraine on Saturday, prompting the match to be cancelled. The incident brought back memories of his near-fatal cardiac arrest at Euro 2021, when his heart stopped for five minutes before being resuscitated.
Eriksen's 2021 Cardiac Arrest
During Denmark's opening game of Euro 2021 against Finland, Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. In a 2022 interview, he recalled: "I was gone from this world for five minutes until they got my heartbeat back." He described waking up surrounded by medical staff, initially unsure of what had happened. "Then it goes through my head: did something happen with my legs, did I break my back?" He added: "For me it was unlucky in a lucky place. I was really grateful the doctors were in that place."
Return to Football with ICD
After the cardiac arrest, Eriksen had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted. While ICDs are not permitted in Italian football, they are allowed in the Premier League, enabling Eriksen to return to English football with Brentford and later Manchester United. He previously played for Tottenham from 2013 to 2020. Speaking about playing with an ICD, Eriksen said: "I don't really have any scared feelings about it. I feel like me, so don't see a reason why I can't get back to the same level."
Saturday's Collapse
During the friendly in Copenhagen, Eriksen collapsed on the pitch, leading to an immediate stoppage. Denmark's team doctor, Morten Boesen, stated: "Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch himself. As I see it, the pacemaker gave a shock, as it is supposed to. He was briefly out, but regained consciousness very quickly." Eriksen was taken to hospital for further examination. The Danish FA confirmed: "Christian Eriksen is conscious and feeling well according to the circumstances. The match has been called off."
