Christian Eriksen will continue his rehabilitation in Denmark after collapsing during an international friendly last month, his club Wolfsburg has confirmed. The 34-year-old midfielder collapsed while playing for Denmark against Ukraine, clutching his chest in frightening scenes that revived memories of his cardiac arrest at Euro 2021.
Eriksen's Health Incident and ICD Activation
Eriksen has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) installed after his 2021 cardiac arrest. The device delivers a shock to restore normal heart rhythm when it detects dangerous irregularities. During the friendly against Ukraine, the ICD activated successfully, saving his life. Despite the incident, Eriksen does not appear ready to retire, as indicated by Wolfsburg's statement regarding his absence from pre-season training.
Wolfsburg's Official Statement
Wolfsburg's official update read: "Christian Eriksen will soon begin an individual rehabilitation programme. After a conversation with VfL managing director Dieter Hecking, it was decided that the 34-year-old will complete this in his home country of Denmark. VfL is in regular contact with Christian as well as the treating physicians. For the course of his rehabilitation, we continue to wish Christian all the best."
Eriksen is contracted to Wolfsburg for another 12 months. The club was relegated to the Bundesliga 2 last season, and their 2026/27 campaign begins on August 8 against Kaiserslautern, a match Eriksen is highly unlikely to play in.
Medical Warnings and Expert Opinion
Danish heart expert Henning Molgaard has warned that Eriksen is likely to collapse again. He told Danish outlet Bold: "We know he (Eriksen) will collapse again at some point. But we simply cannot say with certainty whether the ICD device will be needed to restart his heart in three months, or in three, four, five, or ten years. However, it is going to happen again." Multiple doctors have advised the player to retire, but Eriksen has not indicated any intention to stop playing.
Eriksen's Previous Season and Statement
In the 2025/26 season, Eriksen made 34 appearances for Wolfsburg, scoring three goals and providing 10 assists. He also captained the team in the latter part of the campaign and showed no signs of heart problems before his collapse. The day after the incident, Eriksen released a statement saying: "As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major impact on both me and my family, but I want to reassure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021. I am feeling good, and my recovery has already started." He added: "Thanks to their expertise, my ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it. For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children."
