Christian Eriksen has spoken out after collapsing on the pitch during a Denmark friendly on Sunday, saying he is ‘doing well’ at home with his family.
The 34-year-old fell to the floor during the match against Ukraine in Odense, in a terrifying scene five years on from suffering a cardiac arrest during a match.
Denmark were playing Finland in the European Championship in June 2021 when Eriksen collapsed on the field and was later fitted with an an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
That device allowed him to keep playing football and he has confirmed that it did its job on Sunday, which was a ‘different situation’ to five years ago.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham midfielder wrote on Instagram: ‘I want to let everyone know that I’m doing well and that I am at home with my family.
‘As you can 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.
‘In addition to being grateful for the support and assistance of all the players and the medical team on the field, I am also incredibly grateful to the doctors who have cared for me and my heart over the years.
‘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.’
The game was abandoned due to Eriksen’s medical emergency, with Denmark manager Brian Riemer thanking the Ukrainian players for their understanding, help and respect.
‘We thanked them for their sportsmanship and the way they handled the situation, cooperating with us,’ he told TV2. ‘And with our players. I encouraged them to march together, during which we expressed our support for all the people sitting in the stadium.
‘We must remember that not only we, but also the 12,000 to 13,000 people sitting here in the stadium, experienced a terrible moment. I thought it would be appropriate if we could give them a little something back before they leave the stadium.
‘I found it incredibly respectful, and we shouldn’t take that lightly. We can’t thank them enough for the way they handled it. I’m not talking about continuing the match, but about their concern for the current situation. The fact that they walked with us and said they would be available if we needed anything. That’s a testament to their class.’
DBU doctor Morten Boesen said shortly after the game was abandoned: ‘Christian is doing well and walked off the field himself. As I see it, the pacemaker is beating as it should. He was briefly gone, but very quickly regained consciousness, and we were quickly in contact with him.
‘He will now be examined further at the hospital to find out what caused the incident. We are in constant contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to greet all the players and say he was okay.’