What happened to Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020? Manchester United star in Germany with Denmark after miraculous recovery

Christian Eriksen is part of Denmark’s Euro 2024 squad three years after the most harrowing experience of his life.

The Manchester United ace will complete his remarkable recovery this afternoon when he returns to the tournament where he almost lost his life.

The 32-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020 in June 2021.

When Denmark’s match against Finland in the group stage started, no one would have expected what was to come.

As the first half drew to a close, Eriksen could be seen stumbling before collapsing to the floor while dribbling the ball.

The situation was clearly serious and medical staff rushed to the pitch, while Denmark captain Simon Kjaer attended to the midfielder on the ground.

The TV cameras cut and the Denmark team formed a shield around their teammate as staff administered CPR and tried to revive him with a defibrillator.

After several minutes of fans in the stadium and those watching from home watching and praying, Eriksen regained consciousness and was put on a stretcher.

The football world was filled with relief when pictures went viral of the former Tottenham and Brentford man awake as he left the stadium.

Following the incident, Denmark’s heroic team doctor, Morten Boesen, explained what happened.

He said: “It was cardiac arrest. It went away and I did CPR.

“How close did we come to losing him? I do not know. I recovered him after a defibrillation. It’s pretty fast.”

Eriksen has since made a miraculous recovery with the help of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in one of football’s biggest stories in recent years.

He joined Brentford in January 2022, returning to Premier League football and making 11 appearances for the Bees.

Man United then signed the midfielder on a three-year deal that summer, where he has played ever since.

After his storied inclusion in Denmark’s Euro 2024 squad, assistant coach Morten Wieghorst expects Eriksen to play a key role.

“He can find that space and time to exploit opponents’ defenses, so that’s his major strength,” Wieghorst told Reuters.

“And then, in terms of pressing, we have to accommodate a player of his stature.”

Denmark begin their campaign in Germany against Slovenia this afternoon and Eriksen starts in midfield.

talkSPORT 2 will have full coverage of the match presented by Hugh Woozencroft.

The commentary comes from Mark Wilson and former England Women’s striker Tash Dowie.

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