Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field again during the friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine, which was called off shortly afterward. According to the Danish Football Association, however, the 34-year-old is doing “well under the circumstances.”
Neither Denmark nor Ukraine will be participating in the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Therefore, the friendly match early Sunday evening held no significance in terms of the coming weeks.
Nevertheless, spectators at Nature Energy Park in Odense witnessed what was initially an entertaining match. The Danes dominated the match and were deservedly leading 2-1 when the sporting aspect took a back seat: In the 65th minute, Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field. The stadium fell silent immediately. The players formed a circle around the 34-year-old to shield him from view and then escorted him off the field on a stretcher amid thunderous applause.
Shortly afterward, the Danish Football Association issued an initial update: According to the association, Eriksen was “conscious and doing well under the circumstances.” The meaningless match was called off by referee Sigurd Kringstard.
“He left the field under his own power. As far as I can tell, the pacemaker is working perfectly,” Danish team doctor Morten Boesen was quoted as saying in an initial statement from the association (DBU). Eriksen had been “briefly unconscious.” ” “But he regained consciousness very quickly, and we were able to establish contact with him right away,” Boesen explained. “Now he needs to undergo further examination at the hospital to determine the cause of the incident. We are in constant contact with him and the doctors at the hospital.”
Will Eriksen retire or continue playing?
It remains unclear whether Eriksen will continue his career. “Christian has to answer that. I don’t know. I think it’s absolutely legitimate to ask that question. But I don’t know,” said Danish sporting director Peter Möller. Talks between Eriksen and VfL Wolfsburg were actually scheduled for this week to discuss whether he could envision staying with the club even after its relegation from the Bundesliga.
Wolfsburg in “close contact”
Following Eriksen’s collapse, VfL wrote: “We are in close contact with the Danish Football Association and are monitoring the situation closely. All the best and a speedy recovery, Christian.”
The midfielder had already collapsed during the 2021 European Championship in the group stage match against Finland and had to be resuscitated.