Christian Eriksen stepped out for Denmark at a European Championship once again when Kasper Hjulmand's began their Euro 2024 Group C campaign against Slovenia in Stuttgart. Within 17 minutes he had completed a fairy-tale.
Eriksen controlled Jonas Wind's flick on his chest and took his shot early to open the scoring, leaving Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance.
It is just three years since players and supporters at Parken in Copenhagen, along with a global television audience of millions, looked on in horror after Eriksen collapsed on the field during his nation's opening match of the delayed Euro 2020 against Finland.
For a time, his life was in danger and the prospect of him continuing a career at any level seemed, at best, remote.
But the 32-year-old former Ajax, Tottenham and Inter Milan playmaker just claimed an FA Cup winners' medal with Manchester United. If his goalscoring flourish inspires a deep run in the competition, Eriksen could finish Euro 2024 as his country's most-capped player of all time.
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What happened to Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020?
In the 42nd minute of Denmark's match against Finland on June 12, 2021, Eriksen collapsed to the turf and remained motionless. His captain Simon Kjaer placed him in the recovery position and was later praised for his quick-thinking response.
Eriksen then received medical treatment on the pitch, both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation (the use of a defibrillator to deliver an electric current to the heart) before being taken from the field on a stretcher. It was later confirmed that Eriksen was awake in hospital.
The game was suspended before being resumed later that evening. Joel Pohjanpalo scored for Finland with an hour on the clock and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg missed a penalty 16 minutes from time to condemn the hosts to a 1-0 defeat. UEFA named Eriksen as its player of the match.
The decision to resume the game was widely criticised. Hjulmand said he regretted doing so, while Peter Schmeichel — the Denmark goalkeeping great and father of their current keeper Kasper Schmeichel — accused UEFA of putting pressure on Eriksen's team-mates to complete the 90 minutes.
On June 16, it was announced Eriksen would be fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The implanted device works in a similar manner to an artificial pacemaker and is a first-line treatment for patients who have endured heart issues such as a cardiac arrest.
Denmark rallied from their early defeats to Finland and Belgium to reach the knockout stages with a 4-1 win over Russia. Their run continued until all the way until the semifinals, when Hjulmand's men lost 2-1 to England after extra time at Wembley. The team received huge support at the tournament and from viewers around the world, while matches were preceded by tributes to Eriksen.
Did Christian Eriksen retire after cardiac arrest?
Eriksen's surgery effectively ended his career with Inter Milan because Serie A rules do not allow players with ICD devices to take part in the competition.
However, this did not cause the midfielder to retire from the game. Players with ICDs are allowed to compete in other leagues. By the time Eriksen's contract at San Siro was officially terminated on December 17, 2021, he was already using the facilities of his boyhood club OB in preparation for a comeback.
The opportunity to return to the Premier League arose via Brentford, managed by his compatriot Thomas Frank. Eriksen signed a six-month deal with the west London club and impressed over the course of 11 appearances, scoring his solitary goal in a 4-1 derby win over Chelsea.
Those performances caught the eye of several suitors and Eriksen's Ajax heritage no doubt played a part in Erik ten Hag bringing him to Manchester United ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Eriksen has made 50 Premier League appearances over the past two seasons for the Red Devils and collected winners' medals in the 2022/23 Carabao Cup and 2023/24 FA Cup.
Christian Eriksen's Denmark comeback
It turns out he knows a thing or two about fairy-tales. On March 26, 2022, a month after his Brentford debut, Eriksen returned to the Denmark setup. He was introduced as a halftime substitute in an international friendly against the Netherlands and scored within two minutes.
That could not avert a 4-2 defeat but Eriksen was also on target three days later in a 3-0 win over their Euro 2024 opponents Serbia.
Denmark were eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup but Eriksen managed to play every minute of their campaign. He remained in Hjulmand's XI and wasted no time in repaying his coach's faith against Slovenia on June 16.
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This is what dreams are made of ❤️
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2024
After suffering a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, Christian Eriksen opens up the scoring for Denmark at EURO 2024 🙏🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/8fjnoRoSzp
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It just had to be him!
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 16, 2024
Christian Eriksen scores on his return to the European Championships 🙌#Euro2024 | #SVNDEN pic.twitter.com/sW6MeOkgUY