Tuesday, January 04, 2022
He wants to play at the 2022 World Cup
Eriksen collapsed: “I was dead for five minutes”
In the summer, the football world cries out collectively when Christian Eriksen collapses on the pitch at the European Championships. In his first interview since the collapse, the Danish national soccer player explains that he wants to play at the 2022 World Cup – and that he finds the global sympathy a little strange.
The Danish national soccer player Christian Eriksen wants to go back to the big soccer stage. “My goal is to be at the World Cup in Qatar. I want to play,” said Eriksen in his first interview after his collapse at the European Championship last summer. “It’s a goal, a dream. Whether I’ll be nominated is another matter. But it’s my dream to come back,” said the 29-year-old in an interview published on Tuesday by Danish TV station DR1.
The midfielder collapsed on the pitch in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021 during the European Championship group game against Finland and had to be resuscitated. He was sure that his comeback could work: “Because I don’t feel any different. Physically, I’m in top form again.” He really wanted to go back to the national team and show that his collapse was only a one-time thing and will not happen again. “My heart is not an obstacle,” emphasized Eriksen. Whether he comes back is now up to the coaches.
“It was extraordinary”
At the same time, Eriksen thanked him for the worldwide sympathy. “It was unbelievable that so many people felt the need to write to me or give me flowers. It touched so many people – and they wanted to show my family and me that. That makes me happy,” said the two-time family man. Even when he was in the hospital, countless fans brought flowers over for days. “It was strange because I didn’t expect people to send me flowers because I was dead for five minutes,” said Eriksen, who was implanted with a defibrillator. This recognizes cardiac arrhythmias and triggers shocks in an emergency.
He is deeply touched that so many people are worried about him and his state of health and continue to do so. “It was extraordinary. It was a great support for me to get all the sympathy. And people are still texting me. I thanked everyone and I want to thank everyone,” said Eriksen, who had to terminate his contract with Inter Milan. In Italy, no athlete is allowed to play with a defibrillator. Where he will continue his career is still open.
RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen recently described the minutes after the collapse of his Danish national team colleague in moving words. “When we stood around him at that time, we all feared that we might be watching him die. I still remember how each of us whispered or thought: Please do it!” Said the 27-year-old of the ” Mitteldeutsche Zeitung “.