Just nine months after Christian Eriksen literally died on the soccer pitch during a game, the Danish star is returning to play for Denmark’s national club — completing an incredible comeback.
When speaking of Eriksen, Denmark’s coach, Kasper Hjulmand said, “Christian is in a pretty good physical condition.”
“I saw him against Burnley last Saturday where he was the best player on the pitch. He is a player who thinks faster than most people do.”
Eriksen — a midfielder for Denmark’s squad — will play friendly matches against the Netherlands on March 26 and Serbia on March 29 … as the team ramps up competition for the World Cup, set to take place in Qatar in November.
Of course, the sight of 30-year-old Eriksen back on the field is an encouraging one — last June, Eriksen collapsed during a game, going into cardiac arrest, and requiring CPR to save his life, before being rushed to a hospital on a stretcher.
It was a terrifying moment that had players and fans concerned for Eriksen … who collapsed while jogging, despite being hit by no one.
As a result of the medical emergency, Christian received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator — a specific type of pacemaker that’s supposed to prevent Eriksen from having similar episodes in the future.
In an interview with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the footballer said he doesn’t remember anything from when his heart stopped.
“I remember nothing from when I was gone,” Eriksen said. “I just felt distant.”
Christian says he’s not afraid of collapsing again because he’s done everything possible to take care of himself.
Eriksen’s contract with Inter Milan was terminated after the cardiac device was implanted.
CE went on to sign as a free agent for Premier League club Brentford in January.