Copenhagen (AFP) – Christian Eriksen is in "good spirits", said the Danish team football doctor, despite being hospitalised after collapsing during Denmark's friendly against Ukraine, five years after suffering a cardiac arrest during the European Championship.
Issued on: 08/06/2026 - 11:34
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The 34-year-old former Manchester United midfielder, who had a type of pacemaker inserted after he collapsed in 2021, fell to the ground in the 64th minute of the match in Odense on Sunday.Medical staff rushed onto the pitch while players from both teams gathered around him to shield the scene from television or smartphone cameras.The referee called off the match and Eriksen was subsequently taken to hospital, having been shielded by both sets of players as he walked off the pitch.Denmark's team doctor Morten Boesen said Eriksen had been "briefly unconscious" but "the pacemaker responded as it should".Boesen was able to offer a positive update early on Monday morning."I spoke to Christian this morning, and he is doing well," he said in comments posted on Instagram."He is with his family and in good spirits. "The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home."Boesen said he and his medical team were in touch with the Danish national side's players on a regular basis."We are taking good care of the players and staff and are in regular contact with them."Eriksen has worn the pacemaker since he collapsed during the group stage game against Finland at Euro 2020, which was played in 2021.That led to him spending more than six months away from football.Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg praised the swift help his team-mate received.
