Christian Eriksen is conscious and undergoing further examinations at hospital after collapsing on the pitch in Denmark's friendly against Ukraine, which forced the match to be stopped.
The 34-year-old midfielder appeared to hold his chest before falling to the ground in the 65th minute of the FIFA Matchday match in Odense, Denmark, with Norwegian referee Sigurd Smehus Kringstad stopping the game in the 79th minute due to the incident involving the VfL Wolfsburg midfielder.
"He fainted, but soon came to his senses," said Danish National Team doctor Morten Boesen, in a statement.
The Danish and Ukrainian players surrounded Eriksen as he was treated. Silence enveloped the crowd before the chant "Eriksen, Eriksen" echoed in the Nature Energy Park, Odense, Denmark.
"Christian is fine and walked off the field himself. In my opinion, the pacemaker responded as it should."
"He fainted, but soon regained consciousness, and we immediately contacted him. He will undergo further examination at the hospital to determine the cause of the accident. We continue to communicate with him and the doctors at the hospital."
"However, Christian is fine. He asked me to convey his greetings to all the players and tell them that he is fine," said Boesen.
In a post on social media, Eriksen's club, VfL Wolfsburg, also offered support.
"We're thinking of you, Christian. Hope you recover soon," said the Danish Football Federation.
Not only that, several of Eriksen's former clubs also expressed support for the midfielder.
"Our prayers are with Christian Eriksen and his family. May you recover completely, Christian. We are all with you," wrote Tottenham on X.
"Everyone at Manchester United was comforted by the latest news from Denmark about Christian Eriksen after the friendly against Ukraine was canceled today."
"The club sends strength and love to Christian and the Eriksen family while waiting for further news," wrote Manchester United, the club Eriksen left in 2025, on X.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham player previously suffered a heart attack and had to be resuscitated on the pitch during Denmark's match against Finland at Euro 2020 in Copenhagen, June 2021.
Eriksen's teammates stood around him forming a wall, protecting him to keep his privacy while receiving treatment in the match against Finland.
After receiving medical treatment for about 10 minutes, he was carried off the field on a stretcher.
The match was stopped and UEFA said the two teams held an emergency meeting before deciding to continue the match. Finland then won 1-0 and Eriksen was named the best player of the match.
Eriksen was then fitted with a special pacemaker known as an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). After being released by Inter Milan, he was able to restart his playing career with English League team Brentford in February 2022, just eight months after fainting against Finland.
The midfielder is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Danish football history. He started his senior career at Ajax before joining Tottenham, where he made 305 appearances and scored 69 goals and 88 assists.
He joined Inter Milan in 2020, then spent eight months without a club after his first dip in form.
After a brief spell at Brentford, he spent three seasons at Manchester United before joining his current club, Wolfsburg.
Meanwhile, neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
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