Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen is improving and could be released from the hospital “soon” after collapsing on the field Sunday during a friendly against Ukraine.
In the 65th minute, Eriksen reached for his chest before falling to the ground in the latest on-field scare for the 34-year-old.
“I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well,” Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said in a statement released by the federation and shared to Eriksen’s personal social media pages. “He is with 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.”
Eriksen was able to reach the ambulance under his own power. In a statement on Sunday, the Danish federation confirmed he was “briefly unconscious.”
Eriksen has a history with heart-related incidents on the pitch. In 2021 playing domestically for Inter Milan, Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while representing Denmark at the European Championship and ultimately had to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator inserted into his body to allow for electronically restarting his heart.
On Sunday night, Boesen credited the device with helping Eriksen regain consciousness, stating the “pacemaker responded as it should.”
Eriksen spent a year away from the sport following the June 2021 incident, eventually resurfacing with Brentford. He has since played with Manchester United and VfL Wolfsburg.
He has six appearances with no goals this year for Denmark, which did not qualify for this summer’s World Cup in North America.
–Field Level Media
