Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen collapsed during an international friendly against Ukraine on Sunday at Nature Energy Park in Odense. The 34-year-old former Manchester United and Tottenham midfielder went down in the 65th minute of the match, clutching his chest before falling to the turf. The incident led to the match being abandoned while Denmark was leading 2-1.
Players from both teams quickly formed a ring around Eriksen as medics attended to him. The Danish Football Federation confirmed in a social media post that Eriksen remained conscious and was doing well under the circumstances. DBU doctor Morten Boesen stated that Eriksen briefly lost consciousness but regained it quickly and was eventually able to walk from the field to an ambulance. Eriksen has since been taken to a hospital for further examination to determine the cause of the incident.
This event marks the second time Eriksen has collapsed while representing his country, echoing a cardiac arrest he suffered during a 2021 European Championship match against Finland. Following that incident, he received life-saving CPR and was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD). Dr. Boesen noted that the device appears to be working as intended. Both Denmark and Ukraine had failed to qualify for this year's World Cup.