Danish footballer Christian Eriksen of Wolfsburg collapsed on the pitch Monday — five years after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match in 2021.
Eriksen started in Denmark's international friendly against Ukraine at Odense Stadium and suddenly clutched his chest and fell to the ground around the 20th minute of the second half.
The match was immediately halted. Players from both sides rushed to surround him as medical staff ran onto the field.
Eriksen was taken to hospital and the match was not resumed. Denmark had been leading 2-1 when the game was called off early.
Players from both teams gathered on the pitch, put their arms around each other's shoulders and formed a circle, joining the crowd in applauding Eriksen as the match came to a close.
The Danish Football Union said on social media that Eriksen "is currently doing well." He walked off the pitch under his own power and will undergo further tests at the hospital to determine the cause of the collapse, the federation said.
Eriksen had collapsed from a cardiac arrest during a group-stage match at the Euro tournament in 2021. The situation was critical enough to require CPR and a defibrillator, but swift emergency treatment helped him pull through.
There were doubts at the time about whether he would ever play again, but Eriksen returned to professional football after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator fitted. He went on to play for Brentford and Manchester United before joining Wolfsburg.
Eriksen is a familiar name to South Korean football fans for his time at Tottenham Hotspur alongside national team captain Son Heung-min. The two were part of the celebrated D.E.S.K. attacking line — Dele Alli, Eriksen, Son and Harry Kane — that powered Spurs during that era.
Denmark will not be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, having been eliminated by the Czech Republic in the European playoff.
min3654@heraldcorp.com
