Christian Eriksen made the perfect start to Euro 2024 three years after the most harrowing experience of his life.
The Manchester United ace brought his remarkable recovery full circle as he scored Denmark’s first goal on his return to the tournament where he almost lost his life.
The 32-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020 in June 2021.
When Denmark’s game against Finland in the group stage kicked off, no one would have expected what happened next.
As the first half was coming to a close, Eriksen could be seen stumbling before collapsing to the floor while dribbling the ball.
The situation was clearly severe and medical staff rushed onto the pitch while Danish captain Simon Kjaer tended to the midfielder on the ground.
TV cameras cut away and the Denmark squad formed a shield around their team-mate as staff admitted CPR and attempted to resuscitate him with a defibrillator.
After a few minutes of the fans in the stadium and those watching from home looking on and praying, Eriksen regained consciousness and was put onto a stretcher.
The football world was full of relief as images spread of the former Tottenham and Brentford man awake as he left the stadium.
Following the incident, Denmark’s heroic team doctor Morten Boesen explained what happened.
He said: “It was a cardiac arrest. He was gone and we did cardiac resuscitation.
“How close were we to losing him? I don’t know. We got him back after one defib. That’s quite fast.”
Eriksen has since made a miraculous recovery with the aid of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), in one of football’s greatest stories in recent years.
He joined Brentford in January 2022, returning to Premier League football and making 11 appearances for the Bees.
Man United then signed the midfielder on a three-year deal that summer, where he has played ever since.
Following his fairytale inclusion in Denmark’s Euro 2024 squad, assistant coach Morten Wieghorst expects Eriksen to play a key role.
“He can find that space and time to exploit the defences of the opponents, so that’s his major strength,” Wieghorst told Reuters.
“And then in terms of pressing, we have to accommodate a player of his stature.”
Denmark kicked off their campaign in Germany against Slovenia and Eriksen started in midfield.
He found the back of the net in the opening stages of the game and incredibly scored exactly 1,100 days after the incident occurred.
Eriksen now starts against England this evening, live on talkSPORT.
Keep up to date with the latest news at Euro 2024 with talkSPORT’s live blog.
News Summary:
- What happened to Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020? Manchester United star makes emotional return with goal for Denmark
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.