The whole footballing world looked in shock when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch after suffering a heart attack during Denmark’s UEFA Euro 2020 match against Finland on June 12, 2021. The midfielder was given CPR by paramedics at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen as his teammates formed a circle around him. Global TV audience had a one collective prayer in their hearts – God save his life.
Eriksen survived. He was later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or ICD, and returned to football eight months later. In Eriksen’s own words he “died for five minutes”. He rejoined the national team, later landed a contract with English Premier League side Manchester United and is now starring for Denmark in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“It’s harsh to look back and think about how my career and my life was back then. Sitting here after a year and playing the World Cup is a big contrast to that,” Eriksen, 30, said on the eve of the World Cup.
Talking to FIFA.com, Eriksen, who is known for his technique, passing and free kick ability, said playing in the World Cup was his dream.
“That’s been the dream from the beginning, and I hoped I would be here. And to be healthy enough and have the doctor’s permission... I’m grateful for that.” Will the World Cup give a sense of achievement to the star player who is his country’s fifth highest all-time goalscorer (39) with over 117 appearances, and has been named Danish Football Player of the Year a record five times? “I don’t think that will give me a sense of achievement,” Eriksen said.
“The achievement was coming back, getting healthy, and having a life. Everything else is just a plus. So just playing the World Cup is huge. It’s not because I’ve been striving to achieve this. I wanted to play more football and, thankfully, it’s going to be at a World Cup.” This is Eriksen’s third World Cup after 2010 and 2018.
After his near-fatal experience Eriksen had to leave his Italian club Inter Milan which he joined in 2020 from Tottenham Hotspur, as it was announced he was not permitted to play in the Serie A due to the presence of an ICD he had implanted. In January Eriksen signed for Premier League club Brentford on a six-month contract. In August he made his Manchester United debut.
Eriksen made an emotional return to international football in March at the same venue where he collapsed, scoring with his first touch in Denmark’s defeat to the Netherlands as Kasper Hjulmand’s team prepared for Qatar 2022.
“I think one of the first conversations I had with the doctor in Amsterdam, who participated in all the testing, was about it being my goal to play in the World Cup if everything went well,” Eriksen said during an earlier interview.
“That was the dream at the time. But things went as they did and I was back playing in March and have since played a number of [international] matches. I never expected that. It’s just great.
“I had missed football a lot. Playing again was wonderful, and I had the perfect start in the match against Holland when I scored after a couple of minutes. Scoring in Parken was just the icing on the cake.” Before a recent match against Denmark, Austria manager Ralf Rangnick said it was “an absolute miracle” Eriksen was alive, let alone playing football again.
“It’s an absolute miracle [that Christian Eriksen is still alive]. I can remember the pictures of the team forming a circle around him as he was being treated,” Rangnick told reporters.
“It really was a matter of life and death. If anyone had predicted at the time that months later, six months later, he would be able to play football again, he would not have believed it.
“And it’s extraordinary that when something like this happens to you, that you go about your job and play again without any worries. This is also something extraordinary.” During his interview on the eve of the Qatar 2022 kick-off Eriksen described Denmark as “very good”.
“We’ve always had a good unity,” he said.
“It’s always been great, all these years in the national team, but in the past few years, there’s been more competition and more quality than before. It shows in our game and our results.” Christian Eriksen is back determined and revitalized. Without any tattoos or flashy haircuts associated with star sportsmen, Eriksen means business.
When Denmark beat France in the Nations League in September he played arguably his best game for the national team.
Denmark are in Group D alongside defending champions France, Australia and Tunisia.
Denmark begin their campaign facing Tunisia on Tuesday.
