Christian Eriksen releases statement after collapsing on pitch for second time | Football | Sport

Christian Eriksen has released a statement confirming he is “doing well” after collapsing on the pitch for a second time in his career. The former Tottenham and Manchester United midfielder clutched his chest and fell to the floor while playing for Denmark against Ukraine on Sunday.

The match was quickly stopped, with players from both sides rushing to provide a shield around the 34-year-old, before the referee then abandoned the friendly. Eriksen previously suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the pitch during a Euro 2020 game against Finland.

He reassured fans that the second incident was not a repeat of the first, that the Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) had done its job as a special heart-setting device.

Eriksen wrote: “I want to let everyone know that I am doing well and that I am home with my family. 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. 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.”

Speaking earlier, Denmark’s team doctor, Morten Boesen, also released a positive statement. Issued via the Danish FA, he said: “[Eriksen] is with his family and in good spirits.

“The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home. We are taking good care of the players and staff and remain in regular contact with them.”

Dr Boesen, who worked with the team during Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, confirmed that the player was taken to hospital for tests.

“Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch himself,” he added. “As I see it, the pacemaker is responding as it should. He was briefly gone, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him.”