Eight months after his cardiac arrest at the Euro, against Finland, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen played again for the first time in competition on Saturday February 26. Now a Brentford player in the Premier League, he came into play against Newcastle but could not prevent his team’s defeat (0-2).
The Dane, who has been living with a defibrillator since his discomfort at the Euro, received a long ovation from the public when he entered, in the 52nd minute of the match. Several banners and messages in his honor were visible in the audience. As a symbol, Eriksen replaced his compatriot Mathias Jensen, who had replaced him during the match against Finland at the Euro.
“It’s a great day”
“It’s a great day for all of us, but especially for Christian and his family”announced his coach Thomas Frank on Friday, promising that Eriksen would have at least a few minutes of play on Saturday.
A moment of history as Christian Eriksen returns to the field replacing Jensen. The same change that happened at Eu… https://t.co/acw3yKq9Lg
The Dane had signed up with the English club on the last day of the winter transfer window at the end of January, and had already played a few minutes with his new club in a friendly match. Eriksen had been forced to terminate his contract with Inter Milan, his former club, this type of device being deemed incompatible with the practice of professional football in Italy, which is not the case in England.