Christian Eriksen collapses a second time: How Denmark star returned to soccer after “dying” for five minutes

There is huge concern once again for Denmark star Christian Eriksen, who collapsed during his country’s friendly against Ukraine on Sunday. Eriksen was quickly attended to by medical teams on the field and taken off 12 minutes later.

Danish FA offer Eriksen health update

The Danish FA later released a statement explaing the player is “conscious and doing well under the circumstances.” The game between Denmark and Ukraine has been called off.

What happened to Christian Eriksen in 2021?

The incident occurred five years after the former Manchester United midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 group game against Finland, played in June 2021.

On that occasion, Eriksen was reported to be clinically dead for five minutes. Thankfully, however, he was resuscitated on the field and rushed to hospital.

Four days later, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a device for patients deemed to be at risk of suffering sudden cardiac death.

How Eriksen return to soccer after cardiac arrest

At the time, the Dane was playing for Inter Milan in Italy, where players are not permitted to compete with such devices. As a result, his contract with the Serie A giants was terminated at the end of 2021.

However, no such rules are in place in England, and Premier League club Brentford signed Eriksen at the end of January 2022, by which time he had been cleared to resume his career by doctors. Six months later, he moved to Old Trafford, where he spent three seasons before moving to Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, his current team.

No health issues had been reported until Eriksen clutched his chest in pain and slumped to the ground during Sunday’s friendly against Ukraine.

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.