The international friendly between Denmark and Ukraine was suspended after Christian Eriksen collapsed during the match. Fortunately, the situation was not as severe as the one he experienced at UEFA Euro 2020, and Eriksen himself later reassured fans by sharing a message of calm through his social media.
“I want to let everyone know that I am doing well and that I am home with my family. 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,” the player revealed on his official Instagram account.
In the initial assessment, Denmark’s national team doctors confirmed that Eriksen was conscious when he was immediately attended to at Odense Stadium. The Danish medical staff also confirmed that the pacemaker functioned as intended, a detail that was also mentioned by Eriksen in his statement.
“…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.”
Christian Eriksen of Denmark.
Soccer World’s support for Eriksen
The post shared on his official account @chriseriksen8 quickly received thousands of likes, as well as messages of support from teammates in the Denmark national team, the Ukraine national team, and former club teammates.
“Stay strong, brother,” wrote Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez. Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu, Lucas Moura, and the official account of the Portugal national team also left messages of support, including heart emojis and well wishes for his recovery and well-being during this period.
What happened to Eriksen at Euro 2020?
During UEFA Euro 2020, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen shocked the world when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s opening match against Finland. Quick intervention from his teammates and medical staff saved his life, as he was resuscitated right on the field before being rushed to the hospital.
Against all odds, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and made a miraculous return to elite soccer just eight months later. He subsequently resumed his career in the Premier League with Brentford and Manchester United, and later moved to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, while continuing to proudly represent Denmark on the international stage.
