Christian Eriksen is conscious after collapsing during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine, five years after the midfielder survived cardiac arrest during a European Championship match.
The incident happened Sunday, June 7, at Nature Energy Park in Odense. People reported that Eriksen briefly lost consciousness, quickly regained it, walked off the field, and was taken to a hospital for further tests.
The Danish Football Federation said Eriksen was “doing well under the circumstances,” while the friendly was called off after the medical emergency.
The collapse immediately recalled Eriksen’s June 2021 cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland. After that incident, he was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, and later returned to professional soccer.
The Match Was Abandoned After the Medical Emergency
The collapse came in the 65th minute, with Denmark leading Ukraine 2-1.
Players from both teams quickly gathered around Eriksen as medical staff came onto the field. Reuters reported that the match was abandoned after he received treatment.
The Danish Football Federation later said Eriksen was conscious and undergoing medical evaluation. The first public updates did not give a final cause for the collapse.
Denmark’s Team Doctor Said His ICD Responded
Eriksen has played with an ICD since his 2021 cardiac arrest.
The device monitors dangerous heart rhythms and can deliver a shock when needed. Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said the device responded during Sunday’s incident, according to reports.
That detail does not explain why Eriksen collapsed. It only confirms that the medical team believed the implanted device functioned as intended during the emergency.
Further hospital tests were ordered to determine what happened.
His 2021 Collapse Still Shapes the Reaction
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Eriksen’s previous collapse remains one of the most frightening scenes in recent soccer history.
During Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland on June 12, 2021, he suffered cardiac arrest on the field and received emergency treatment before being taken to the hospital.
He later underwent the ICD procedure, left Inter Milan because Serie A rules did not allow him to play with the device, and resumed his career with Brentford before joining Manchester United.
That history made Sunday’s collapse especially alarming for players, fans, and broadcasters, even after the first updates said he was conscious.
Reports Said He Sent Greetings to Teammates
The first updates after the match were cautiously reassuring.
The New York Post reported that Eriksen sent greetings to his teammates after leaving the field.
The message gave Denmark’s players a sign that he was alert after the collapse, though doctors still had to complete further checks.
No public decision has been announced about Eriksen’s playing future. The immediate update is limited to his condition after the friendly: conscious, under medical evaluation, and doing well under the circumstances.