Eriksen conscious and in good spirits after collapsing during Denmark's friendly with Ukraine

Christian Eriksen is conscious, in good spirits, and expected to be discharged from hospital after collapsing on the pitch during Denmark’s 2-1 friendly win over Ukraine at Nature Energy Park on Sunday.

TV cameras captured the 34-year-old holding his chest and falling to the ground in the 65th minute. Players from both sides crowded around him to shield him from view as medical staff rushed on. The match was halted and subsequently postponed.

Denmark’s national team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed Eriksen had briefly lost consciousness before quickly regaining it. “Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch by himself,” Boesen said. “As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should. He was briefly unconscious but regained consciousness very quickly and we were quickly in contact with him.”

Boesen added that Eriksen would undergo further tests at hospital to determine the cause of the incident, and that the midfielder had asked him to pass on his regards to teammates and assure them he was okay.

Eriksen reshared a follow-up message from Boesen on his Instagram story on Monday morning. “I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well,” the statement read. “He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.”

The incident immediately drew comparisons to Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, when he collapsed during Denmark’s group-stage match against Finland. He subsequently had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted, which allowed him to resume his playing career — first with Brentford and then Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Boesen, who was also the team doctor present during the 2021 incident, was on hand again on Sunday and confirmed the device appeared to function correctly.

Denmark head coach Brian Riemer said he had initially mistaken Eriksen’s distress for the aftermath of a physical challenge. “A few minutes before he fell ill, he had had a tussle with Ruslan Malinovskyi and I thought that was why he looked so distressed, but I was wrong,” Riemer said. He confirmed that Eriksen waved to his teammates as he was taken off the pitch.