Christian Eriksen suffers second cardiac scare as Denmark v Ukraine called off | OneFootball

Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s friendly with Ukraine in Odense, then regained consciousness before being taken to hospital. The match was called off shortly after.

With 65 minutes played, TV coverage cut away as he clutched his chest and fell, and medics rushed on at players’ calls. The Danish federation’s doctor Morten Boesen said his pacemaker worked properly and, given the circumstances, he was doing well, though further tests are needed to determine the cause.

Team-mates and opponents quickly shielded him, and no defibrillator was needed. He has worn an implantable defibrillator for five years after his cardiac arrest on 12 June 2021 against Finland at Euro 2021, when Simon Kjaer and medics helped save his life.

Eriksen spent less than 10 minutes on the pitch before being stretchered off. The match was in Odense, where he owns a house and played from age 13 to 17 before joining Ajax.

This second serious cardiac scare should mark the end of the 34-year-old’s career, the gifted playmaker who ran Tottenham from 2013 to 2020 and reached the 2019 Champions League final, losing 0-2 to Liverpool.

Retirement was floated in 2021, as professional sport is strongly discouraged for anyone with an implantable defibrillator, but he dismissed it and left Inter because Italian law bars such athletes. He returned with Brentford on 26 February 2022, rejoined Denmark on 29 March in a 3-0 win over Serbia, later played three seasons at Manchester United, then joined Wolfsburg last summer, who were relegated.

Source: L'Équipe