– I didn’t expect people to send flowers because I was dead for five minutes.
Christian Eriksen the words in a television interview by the Danish broadcasting company DR described the unreal life period of the country’s best player between the two prestigious tournaments.
Then he had a clear goal. The thoughts were already on the World Cup. Returning to the field, as a top athlete with an active career.
– I don’t feel different at all. Physically, I’m in top shape. There’s still a long way to go, and during that time I want to prove that I’m at the same level again, Eriksen continued (you will switch to another service) in January.
In the summer of 2021, he had been in a sweeter situation as a football player than ever. Eriksen was the new Italian champion and was about to play the next prestigious tournament in front of the home crowd in Copenhagen, as the clear superstar of his team. The event turned out to be more memorable than expected, in a darker way than hoped.
Eriksen had a heart attack on the second game day of the tournament, as the break of the Denmark-Finland match was approaching.
Eriksen had passed the ball forward after a throw-in before falling to the grass.
The player was treated on the field for twenty minutes.
Eriksen remembers waking up after CPR as if from a dream, unaware of the last few minutes. Breathing was difficult, but the last memory I had was passing the ball forward before the cramp-like feeling in the calf.
For a few minutes, he was dead at the age of 29. However, he left the field already conscious, eyes open. He left his button-up shoes in the ambulance for the paramedics because he didn’t think he would ever need them again.
A quick climb back to the top
Eriksen spent six days in the hospital. The treatment period included, among other things, surgery in which a small, implantable defibrillator was installed in the chest. The device follows the heart and gives a quick shock when it detects a too fast, life-threatening disturbance in the rhythm.
He himself knew quite quickly that he wanted to continue playing. The doctors’ trust in the aid also convinced the player, but the decision scared everyone more than Eriksen himself.
The events had left a mark on every viewer, but for Eriksen they were practically a blur. However, his family remembered everything after watching the episode from a close distance, and in addition to his physical rehabilitation, Eriksen went to therapy with his loved ones.
The Danish captain in the most emotional photos of the match Simon Kjær tried to comfort the spouse who ran to the side of Eriksen’s field. A few minutes earlier, the defender had run from the other end of the field to Eriksen, opened his airways and started CPR before the medical staff arrived.
Simon Kjær played a decisive role in saving Eriksen’s life.
The Danish and Finnish players agreed to finish the match that night, but Kjær could only continue for a moment before asking to be substituted. He and the medical team present were later honored with a special UEFA award for their actions.
Eriksen had left Tottenham behind in January 2020 and switched from the English Premier League to the Italian Serie A. In Milan, he faced adjustment difficulties, but nevertheless helped the team to the Europa League final and ended Juventus’ nine-year dynasty as the Italian champions.
Although the first aid and recovery went almost perfectly, it was certain that in Italy Eriksen could no longer continue. Internal defibrillators have started to be treated more kindly in top sports only in recent years, but Italy is still one of the strictest countries in terms of line, and does not even allow regular chubby women to exercise in the gym without a doctor’s certificate – let alone professional football after a heart attack.
Consequently, the Inter contract was terminated in the face of necessity. Eriksen trained for a while in Switzerland and then returned to Denmark for his junior years. There were a few teams that were interested, but it wasn’t until January that a suitable direction was found. Brentford, who were promoted to the Premier League, signed a six-month contract with Eriksen, which few would have believed.
At the beginning of the year, Eriksen returned to the field in front of the crowd as a substitute.
The Dane made his debut in February in a training match behind closed doors. At the end of the month, Eriksen stepped onto the field in the Premier League match with Parken also present, with his family watching from the side. The return to real work was a symbolic end to an emotional eight-month period.
– He looks just as high-quality a player as we knew him to be. Needless to say he is a joy to watch play, Brentford manager Thomas Frank said According to Eurosport (you will switch to another service).
Pesti turned out to be a mutual success, as Eriksen showed that his skills are there. The performances were so convincing that in the summer Brentford was already left behind. The new contract was more confidently three-year, and the new club more spectacularly Manchester United.
A stunning return to the national team
At the beginning of November, Denmark announced its team for the World Cup tournament. At the same time, Eriksen’s return to the biggest stage of national team football was confirmed a year and a half after his heart attack.
At the start of the World Cup, he has lived the usual rhythm of a professional player for only nine months, and the 30-year-old star has taken his position with moderation.
It was self-evident that playing at his familiar level, he would always find a place in the starting line-up of the Danish national team. From the outside, however, it was difficult to assess where Eriksen’s condition really went.
He spoke openly for a long time about his goal to participate in the World Cup, but he admitted that he himself felt uncertain at first. Faith in the endurance of one’s own body had to be rediscovered, by experimenting and increasing the strain. Before that, the tests performed under the supervision of doctors were thorough.
– I was worried that I would be afraid on the field. However, that is not the point. People don’t need to worry because I’m not going to cut short again, Eriksen assured DR, while laughing at the absurd nature of his remarks.
Eriksen has returned to his position as a key player for the Danish team.
290 days after Parken’s nightmare, he was ready to return to the red and white shirt. Denmark played Holland as a guest and Eriksen was replaced on the field in the second period of the match.
The first contact with the ball came two minutes later. The low cross reached Eriksen, who continued the ball straight into the goal. Holland won, but not much was said about the result.
Three days later we returned to Parken. Denmark faced Serbia and Eriksen got to play with the captain’s armband on his arm, for the first time in the same stadium he had last left, protected by white sheets.
– I received a wonderful reception in Holland and I expect even more from this. Here it happened, and it’s being talked about. After this, this is talked about as if everything was back to the way it was before. People will get a new memory, Eriksen said, according to the news agency Reuters, during the match, not yet knowing exactly how significant the cleansing experience of the evening would be.
In the second period, he received the ball outside the penalty area, got his feet free and shot to give Denmark a 3-0 lead.
Two goals in two matches returned Eriksen to his previous position, instead of a black memory to a hero of the Danes.
The days since Parken’s dramatic night have been counted every time Eriksen has reached a milestone in his recovery. On Tuesday, he will walk onto the pitch of the World Cup 528 days after his first life was cut short to prove that he is the same as before.
Sources: Reuters, DR, The Athletic, BBC