During an international friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a medical episode and collapsed on the pitch in the 65th minute. The referees immediately stopped the match, and the game was ultimately abandoned.
Before collapsing, Eriksen appeared to place his hand on his chest. It remains unknown if this incident was directly related to his previous cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, which required him to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) inserted. Following the 2020 incident, that medical device prevented him from continuing his career with Inter Milan, leading to a return to professional soccer with Brentford in the Premier League. Most recently, he spent the season playing for Wolfsburg.
Following Sunday’s collapse, medical personnel rushed to his aid, but Eriksen was able to walk onto an ambulance under his own power to receive further treatment. A statement from the Danish Football Association (FA) confirmed that he was conscious and doing well under the circumstances.
National team doctor Morten Boesen provided additional reassurance, explaining that Eriksen’s pacemaker appeared to function as expected. Boesen noted that while Eriksen was briefly unconscious, he regained consciousness very quickly and communicated with medical staff. Eriksen was taken to a hospital for further examinations to determine the exact cause of the incident and asked the doctor to pass along a message to his teammates that he was okay.
