Christian Eriksen is home with his family and “doing well” after collapsing during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine on Sunday, the 34-year-old has said. The match in Odense was stopped on 65 minutes when Eriksen fell to the ground, and was abandoned shortly after. He was able to walk from the field after regaining consciousness.
The incident triggered his Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) – a type of pacemaker fitted after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match against Finland in 2021. “As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major effect on both me and my family,” Eriksen wrote in a statement on Instagram. “But I want to assure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021.” He thanked the players, medical team on the field, and “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.”
“Christian Eriksen is home and recovering after his ICD activated during Denmark's friendly against Ukraine.”
Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen said “the pacemaker responded as it should.” The ICD allowed Eriksen to resume his playing career with Brentford in 2022 – eight months after his Euro 2020 collapse – before he spent three years with Manchester United. He now plays for Wolfsburg after spells at Tottenham and Inter Milan.
Eriksen, who has 151 caps for Denmark, spent the night in hospital following the incident. Writing on Instagram, he said his “recovery has already started” and added: “For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children.” Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.