UPDATE
Christian Eriksen (34), who is “doing well”, has not yet responded after collapsing again on the football field yesterday. The same thing happened to the Danish midfielder during the 2020 European Championship. Since then he has been living with a defibrillator, which did what it was supposed to do yesterday. The team doctor already provided explanations in the Danish media: “Christian asked if he could leave the field himself so that he could visit his family.”
These are images you don’t want to see. In the practice match between Denmark and Ukraine, Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed again. When there was no ball nearby, he suddenly grabbed his chest and knocked the 34-year-old football player to the ground. The stadium immediately became silent. Not again, right?
There was uncertainty. Joakim Mæhle (ex-Genk) sat alone in the center circle, with his hands in front of his head. The Danes – including ex-RSCA coach Brian Riemer – gathered around their teammate, who was lying on the ground. Eriksen’s wife also quickly entered the field.
Fortunately, Eriksen was able to get up on his own about nine minutes later and leave the field towards an ambulance. With loud applause from teammates, opponents and the entire stadium. “Christian is doing well considering the circumstances,” the stadium announcer said.
Defibrillator
At the 2020 European Championship, the midfielder collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest. On June 12, 2021, the then 29-year-old midfielder suffered cardiac arrest during the European Championship match against Finland. His breathing and pulse then stopped, after which a cardiac massage was administered on the field.
Eriksen has been living with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) ever since – an internal device that continuously monitors, detects and treats life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
It’s that defibrillator that did what it was supposed to do last night. “The pacemaker works as it should,” says Danish team doctor Morten Boesen.
Wife
Boesen provides additional explanation in Danish media. “He was gone for a while, but quickly regained consciousness. He is doing well and was able to leave the field himself. It was Christian who asked if he could leave the field himself so that he could go to his family. Since the ambulance was not much further away, we allowed it. Christian also asked me to convey his greetings to all the players and to report that he was okay.”
Eriksen’s wife Sabrina Kvist Jensen went to the hospital in Odense. The couple has two children: an eight-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.
The heart rhythm soon returned to normal levels. “Further investigations at the hospital must now determine what caused this.”
Boesen did not want to speculate about Eriksen’s future, and whether football is still safe for him. “I leave that to the heart specialists.”
The match against Ukraine was logically stopped.
“This is a shocking experience for everyone,” Danish national coach Brian Riemer (ex-Anderlecht) told TV 2 Sport after the match. “In no time you realized how serious it was. The most important thing initially was to get an update from Christian. He was treated excellently by our doctor, who let us know that he is doing well. It is something that you hope no one ever has to experience. All our thoughts go out to Christian. I hope I can visit him as soon as possible.”
Support
“Our dressing room is, as it were, divided in two,” said Riemer. “One half has experienced this before and had an intense flashback to what was perhaps the biggest nightmare of their lives. For the other half this is the first time, they also reacted very strongly…”
Peter Möller, director of the Danish Football Association, has already announced that the Danish selection will receive support to cope with the shock. The group stayed together for a while and the Danish Football Association and coach Riemer will follow up with the players in the coming days. Denmark could not qualify for the World Cup.
Eriksen currently plays for the German Wolfsburg.
