His collapse on the lawn at the European Championships a year and a half ago has burned in. But Christian Eriksen does not think back, for him it is currently about the World Cup. He is part of the Danish team, he is an “inspiration for everyone”.
The images of the EM drama are still omnipresent. When Christian Eriksen collapsed on June 12, 2021 as if struck by lightning and emergency doctors fought for his life for minutes. Eriksen survived – and 17 months later is facing his third World Cup appearance with Denmark.
“I’m grateful that I’m here. It’s very special. Everything else is extra. That’s my motto now,” said the 30-year-old before the Danish World Cup opener (2 p.m. / ZDF, MagentaTV and on ntv.de -Live ticker) moved against Tunisia.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand was also full of emotions when asked about his director. “He’s our heart, our heartbeat. He’s a fantastic player and an even better person. He gives us so much,” said Hjulmand, his eyes shining. Everyone is “happy, we love it, it’s a plus for Denmark,” emphasized captain Simon Kjaer. Eriksen is an “inspiration for everyone”.
It was not clear for a long time that Eriksen would play a (main) role again after the tragic incident. He hoped that he “could come, that I would be healthy enough and get the doctors’ permission,” said Eriksen. It was “a complete contrast to sit here and take part in the World Cup”.
The 117-time national player was called back to the “Danish Dynamite” squad for the first time on March 26 – and has long been one of the great hopes again. But he no longer felt any particular pressure after his accident. “I’ve said it before, but I’ve never felt stressed. As a player, in every situation. But now I subconsciously assume that everything will work out,” Eriksen told NOS.
Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest in the European Championship match against Finland in Copenhagen. The consequences were far-reaching. A few months later, his then club Inter Milan canceled the contract, which ran until 2024, because playing with an implanted defibrillator is not allowed in Italy. The Dane finally landed at Manchester United in the summer through a commitment at FC Brentford.
The topic is still present in the Danish team. “There’s a day, maybe two, when I don’t think about it. Not for a long time,” said Kjaer, a big friend of Eriksen’s, recently to “Sport Bild”: “It’s become a part of us.” That tragic June 12, 2021.