Christian Eriksen was playing his first international match in Odense when, at 65 minutes, he collapsed. Teammates and medical staff rushed to his side. This time, the defibrillator was already inside his body.
The 34-year-old Dane, who suffered a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted after that collapse. On Sunday, against Ukraine, the device did exactly what it was designed to do. "My ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it," Eriksen wrote in a statement on Instagram after spending the night in hospital.
“Christian Eriksen's ICD saved him again after collapsing against Ukraine; he is recovering at home.”
Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed "the pacemaker responded as it should". The match was abandoned shortly after Eriksen walked off the field conscious – a stark contrast to 2021, when he needed CPR on the pitch.
An ICD is a small life-saving device that detects dangerous heart rhythms and corrects them with an electrical shock. Prof Aneil Malhotra, a sports cardiologist at the Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, described the sensation: "It feels like being thumped in the chest." He added that resetting the heart "is like switching a computer off and on again". Prof Michael Papadakis, cardiology expert at St George's, University of London, calls it a "shock box". "It looks after your rhythm and, if it detects a very fast, life-threatening irregularity, it will shock you out of it and jump-start the heart," he said.
In a candid statement, Eriksen acknowledged the emotional toll: "As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major effect on both me and my family, but I want to assure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021." He thanked the medical team and doctors who "cared for me and my heart over the years".
The ICD allowed Eriksen to resume his playing career with Brentford in 2022, eight months after his Euro 2020 collapse. He later played for Manchester United and now plays for Wolfsburg. Speaking to BBC Sport before his comeback, he said he had no concerns: "I don't see any risk, no. I have an ICD, if anything would happen then I am safe."
Now back at home with his family, Eriksen is focusing on recovery. "For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children," he wrote. Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.