Christian Eriksen has a wider view on life after collapse at previous Euro tournament 

The attention for the ongoing European Championship has been on Jude Bellingham and his England teammates, with focus on whether they can win their maiden continental crown and a first major title in almost six decades.

Focus has also been on Kylian Mbappé (who broke his nose during his country’s scrappy opening win against Austria) and whether he can add a Euro gold medal to a trophy cabinet that is already stacked. Hosts Germany have also hogged the spotlight due to their historic tournament pedigree.

Despite this, one of the stories of Euro 2024 is Christian Eriksen. The Danish midfielder was a victim of a cardiac arrest at the previous Euros, which took place in 2021, a year later than originally scheduled – due to Covid-19. Three years later, he is back at the tournament representing his country.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Organised sport should not happen without trained medical staff present, say experts

He is not there as a spectator either. During Denmark’s first match of the 2024 showpiece of European international soccer, Eriksen scored the opening goal for his home nation to extend his legacy as one of the Dane greats in soccer.

It would not be quite a fairytale comeback to the tournament though for the 32-year-old as Slovenia earned a one-all draw via an Erik Janža equaliser. Nevertheless, Eriksen was pleased to be back on the Euro stage.

Jan Oblak of Slovenia reacts as Christian Eriksen of Denmark celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Victor Kristiansen during the Euro 2024 match against Slovenia at Stuttgart Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. 16 June 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“This time, at the Euro, my story is different to last time. Luckily there have been a lot of games since it happened. I felt happy going into the game [against Slovenia] and I was happy to be playing,” Eriksen said after the match.

That fateful day

A handful of minutes before the whistle blew for halftime as Denmark tussled with Finland on 12 June 2021 — Eriksen fell forward seconds after receiving a throw-in.

One of the first people to come to his aid was Danish skipper Simon Kjær, who began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on his unconscious compatriot and good friend.

Christian Eriksen of Denmark goes down as team mates (from left) Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Martin Braithwaite and Thomas Delaney call for assistance during their Euro 2020 match against Finland in Copenhagen, Denmark. 12 June 2021. (Photo: Martin Meissner - Pool/Getty Images)

The medical staff were not far behind as everyone at the Parken Stadium, in Copenhagen, watched on wide-eyed and with their hands planted on their faces. Tears automatically tumbled down some eyes during that moment.

In that period, the hope was that Eriksen would live to see another day. That he would return to being a professional soccer player was not at the forefront of anyone’s mind.

Thomas Delaney of Denmark and team mates surround Christian Eriksen (hidden) of Denmark as he receives medical treatment during the Euro 2020 Championship match in Copenhagen, Denmark. 21 June 2021. (Photo: Friedemann Vogel - Pool/Getty Images)

Horrid history

After all, a number of players had either lost their lives or were forced to end their careers prematurely due to cardio-related incidences.

Cameroon’s Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed on the field during the Fifa Confederations Cup tournament, with his country battling against Colombia. He would later die in hospital.

Then there was Fabrice Muamba. The DR Congo-born Englishman suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed while playing for Bolton Wanderers in 2012. He was forced to retire, aged just 24.

Egyptian fullback Mohamed Abdelwahab was not fortunate enough to survive. The 22-year-old died after collapsing during an Al Ahly training session in August 2006. As did former Newcastle United and Ivory midfielder Cheick Tioté.

Eriksen, who was awarded the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award in 2023, is one of the rare exceptions. He could not be more grateful.

“I was lucky that nothing serious happened. An ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) was the worst thing,” said Eriksen, who also represented Denmark at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following his recovery.

“I have more or less the same [routine]. I’ve started to enjoy my life and my kids, my family a bit more than what I did before. I am a bit more relaxed with everything,” the Manchester United midfielder said.

“I am not as nervous as I was before, and I didn’t feel like I was nervous before. But it just changes your dynamic. Life is very good. Life is very important. Life is very important.”

Eriksen’s next important assignment is a replay of one of the Euro 2020 semifinals. They face England in their second group game on Thursday, 20 June. They conclude the group phase with a clash against Serbia five days after the England battle. DM