Former Tottenham star Christian Eriksen has reassured supporters over his condition after a frightening incident during Denmark’s latest friendly.
Many across football feared the worst when Eriksen went down during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine on Sunday.
The former Tottenham man received swift medical attention in what was a deeply worrying scene, but was thankfully conscious and able to walk off the pitch before the match was later abandoned.
The incident came almost five years after Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 group-stage clash against Finland, which only heightened concerns surrounding his welfare.
At the time, the 34-year-old was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), designed to manage abnormal heart rhythms.
Christian Eriksen reassures fans after Denmark scare
Following the latest incident, Eriksen took to social media to reassure supporters that he was recovering well and spending time with his family.
Writing in a statement posted on Instagram, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder explained that the situation was different to the cardiac arrest he suffered in 2021 and thanked medical staff for their continued support.
“I want to let everyone know that I am doing well and that I am home with my family,” Eriksen wrote.
“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.”
Former Tottenham teammate Andros Townsend weighs in on Eriksen
Speaking on talkSPORT, Eriksen’s former Spurs teammate Andros Townsend admitted he would advise the Dane to retire, while also acknowledging the difficulty of making such a personal decision.
Since the incident in 2021, Eriksen has continued to play at the highest level, representing Brentford, Manchester United and VfL Wolfsburg, while also making more than 40 additional appearances for Denmark.
But Townsend explained that family and health should naturally become the priority in moments like this, despite Eriksen’s remarkable journey back to elite football after his collapse in 2021.
“Of course, on the outside, yes, I’d advise him,” Townsend told the talkSPORT Breakfast show. “There are so many more important things to worry about, he’s got a lovely family to worry about.
“But, who knows what goes on inside the heads of anybody? Let alone a footballer who’s worked so hard to get to where he’s got to, who’s almost died on the pitch and has come back to play for Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“So, it’s difficult to know what’s going on in his head but of course, at the moment, there are more important things to think about than a football match.”
Townsend later added that Eriksen’s ICD puts him in a far safer position should another similar episode occur, drawing comparisons to Tom Lockyer’s collapse while playing for Luton Town.
He added: “It was a scare. I had a similar situation with Tom Lockyer at Luton, where he went down.
“Reading a bit more into it, speaking with him and doing some research, I think Christian Eriksen is probably in one of the most privileged positions that if that does happen, like it did, he’s got the defib in his heart, so he’s going to be shocked back to life.
“It’s a scary moment, but I think he’s actually… I do not want to sound bad, but I think he’s as safe as can be, the fact that he has that defib that can shock him if it does happen, and it did happen yesterday.”