Christian Eriksen has been discharged from hospital but is refusing to say whether he will retire from football after his implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) delivered a shock during a second on-field collapse in five years.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder clutched his chest and fell to the ground during a Denmark friendly against Ukraine on Sunday. His ICD, which was fitted after his 2021 cardiac arrest, shocked his heart to restore its rhythm.
Players and staff shielded Eriksen from view as he received treatment on the pitch.
Eriksen, 34, said the incident was "a different situation" from 2021. Denmark have not qualified for the World Cup, and he said he would now focus on "recovery" and spending time with his family before deciding on his career.
Eriksen's statement
In a statement released on the afternoon, Eriksen said: "As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major impact on both me and my family, but I want to reassure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021. I am feeling good, and my recovery has already started."
He added: "In addition to being grateful for the support and assistance of all the players and the medical team on the field, I am also incredibly grateful to the doctors who have cared for me and my heart over the years. Thanks to their expertise, my ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it."
"For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children," Eriksen said.
Calls for retirement
Thomas Gravesen, the former Real Madrid and Everton midfielder, said Eriksen should now retire for the sake of his wife, Sabrina Kvist Jensen, who was pitchside for both of her husband's collapses.
"This has nothing to do with a career anymore. This has to do with life. It's Christian Eriksen's life," Gravesen, now working as a pundit, told Viaplay. "I saw his wife storm onto the field once more. What kind of scenario is he putting her in? You have to think a little further than the tip of your own nose. Football is completely irrelevant when something like this happens."
Gravesen suggested that if Eriksen wants to keep playing, the decision should be taken out of his hands and he should be forced to retire.
What is an ICD?
An ICD is a small device that treats dangerously abnormal heart rhythms by sending electrical pulses to the heart, according to the British Heart Foundation. It is placed under the skin, usually near the collarbone, with thin wires connecting it to the heart to constantly monitor rate and rhythm. People may need one if they have suffered a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm, are at risk of one in future, or have heart failure. Fitting the device takes one to three hours.
Cardiologist's warning
Cardiologist Henning Molgaard warned that Eriksen may suffer similar health issues in the future but said the defibrillator had saved his life. Before the collapse, Eriksen had said he was "not at all, not in the slightest" afraid of it happening again, adding: "Worst case, if it happens again, this thing helps me right away."
Molgaard told BT: "His pacemaker. It has undoubtedly done its job and saved his life. It can definitely happen again. We can see this in many ordinary people who have a small, discreet heart condition who have cardiac arrest again, and then the pacemaker takes effect. So regardless of what is behind it in Christian Eriksen's case, it can happen again."
He said receiving a shock from the device "feels like being kicked by a horse," which is why players can be heard shouting "off," and said patients often have to overcome a period of "oxygen debt" before regaining consciousness. He added that it was a good sign Eriksen had walked to the ambulance himself. "The spectacular thing is not that it happened. It happens to many people. The spectacular thing is that it happens on a football field," Molgaard said.
Molgaard also warned that professional clubs are now unlikely to want to take the risk of fielding Eriksen. "The vast majority of professional clubs won't risk him falling again. Most will probably say 'I think you should come up with something else,'" he said.
What happened on the pitch
Danish national team doctor Morten Boesen, who was credited with saving Eriksen's life in 2021, said Eriksen had asked to walk to the ambulance himself and to say hello to his family. "He wanted to go himself and also say hello to his family. And the ambulance was down the corner. So he was allowed to do that," Boesen said. "He was completely monitored."
Television footage showed Eriksen clutching his chest and falling to the ground away from the ball, midway through the second half of the match, before medical staff rushed to shield him from view.
Earlier footage from before kickoff showed Eriksen applauding the crowd. Eriksen has a year left on a two-year contract at German club Wolfsburg, who were relegated from the top-tier Bundesliga last month.
Denmark's reaction
The Danish Football Association said in a statement after the incident: "Christian Eriksen is conscious and doing well in the circumstances. The match has been called off."
The big screen inside the stadium in Odense carried a similar message: "The match is over. Christian Eriksen is in good condition under the circumstances." Fans began singing Eriksen's name and clapping as he received treatment.
Former Denmark international Nicklas Bendtner, covering the game as a pundit on Danish television, fought back tears as he tried to find words for what had happened. "These are horrible pictures, and it completely overshadows the rest of the evening," he said. "My thoughts are with the family and the children, and it's a difficult situation to be in right now. This is the second time it has happened, and as Christian's friend also, it's really terrible."
Several of Eriksen's Denmark team-mates were visibly distressed and broke down in tears on the pitch.
