Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, issued an official update on Monday following midfielder Christian Eriksen’s collapse on the pitch.
The incident happened during the 65th minute of the friendly against Ukraine, and Eriksen was seen clutching his chest. The medical staff rushed onto the turf, and the match was called off with Denmark leading 2-1.
The scenes reminded one of Euro 2020, where Eriksen had collapsed on the field during the game against Finland. At that time, he suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be implanted with a cardioverter-defibrillator.
The 34-year-old Boesen said that Eriksen is doing well. However, he confirmed that the experienced midfielder had lost consciousness for a while. Eriksen will now be undergoing further examinations to determine what caused the incident.
“Christian is doing well and left the field himself. As I see it, the pacemaker is beating as it should. He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him,” Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said in an official statement.
“He will undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay,” he added.
During the friendly, the Denmark and Ukraine players surrounded Eriksen while he was being treated. There was a pin-drop silence on the ground before “Eriksen, Eriksen”chants went around Nature Energy Park in Odense, Denmark.
Eriksen’s former club Manchester United also offered support on X, saying, “Everybody at Manchester United is encouraged by Denmark’s update on Christian Eriksen following today’s abandoned friendly against Ukraine.”
“The club is sending strength and love to Christian and the Eriksen family as we await further news,” the post added.
All about Eriksen
Eriksen first collapsed on the pitch in 2021 during the Euro Cup. However, he launched his career back in February 2022, just eight months after collapsing against Finland.
The midfielder is known as one of the greatest players in Danish football history. He began his senior playing career at Ajax before joining Tottenham, making 305 appearances, scoring 69 goals and providing 88 assists.
He then joined Inter Milan in 2020, but was without a club for eight months following his first collapse. After a stint at Brentford, he spent three seasons at Manchester United before joining his current club, Wolfsburg.