Christian Eriksen is in "good spirits" and expected to be discharged from hospital "soon" after collapsing on the pitch while playing for Denmark. The 34-year-old former Tottenham and Manchester United midfielder fell to the ground clutching his chest with 25 minutes remaining of Sunday's friendly match against Ukraine at Nature Energy Park in Odense.
Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, received immediate medical treatment. Players from both teams formed a protective ring around him, and the game was abandoned with Denmark leading 2-1.
The Danish Football Association (DBU) announced that Eriksen was "conscious and doing well." Denmark's team doctor, Morten Boesen, later confirmed that the player had been taken to hospital for tests after briefly losing consciousness but quickly regaining it and walking off the pitch under his own power.
Boesen, who was also Denmark's team doctor at Euro 2020 and praised for his efforts in reviving Eriksen, provided a further update on Monday morning. In a statement released via the DBU, he said: "I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home. We are taking good care of the players and staff and remain in regular contact with them."
Eriksen previously collapsed while playing for Denmark in their opening game of the delayed Euro 2020 finals against Finland in June 2021. He suffered a cardiac arrest and received CPR, with an automated external defibrillator used to reset his heart. He later said he was "gone from this world for five minutes." He recovered and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a form of pacemaker, returning to football eight months later with Brentford after his release from Inter Milan.
Unable to continue his career in Serie A due to rules against players with ICDs, Eriksen spent six months at Brentford and later had a three-year stint at Manchester United. He moved to Wolfsburg on a free transfer last summer and made 34 appearances during the 2025/26 campaign. He has continued to represent Denmark, becoming their all-time leading appearance-maker with 151 senior caps and 46 goals. The Danes did not qualify for the upcoming World Cup, losing on penalties to the Czech Republic in their UEFA play-off final.
