Kasper Schmeichel admits it was ‘damn nice’ to see Christian Eriksen ‘smile, laugh and be himself’ after visiting his stricken Denmark team-mate in hospital… as he opens up on the ‘violent, inhuman situation’ and hails the response of Simon Kjaer
Kasper Schmeichel has revealed that the ‘wonderful experience’ of visiting Christian Eriksen in hospital is helping him cope with the horror of his team-mate’s collapse.
The Inter Milan midfielder required 13 minutes of CPR after suffering a cardiac arrest just before half-time in Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener with Finland on Saturday, but is now in a stable condition in hospital.
Schmeichel visited Eriksen on Sunday and says it was ‘great’ to see the progress the former Tottenham star has made, less than 48 hours after it was feared he had died on the pitch in Copenhagen.
Kasper Schmeichel has opened up on the horror of Christian Eriksen’s collapse on Saturday
Denmark’s players create a barrier around Eriksen after he suffered a cardiac arrest
During a press conference on Monday, the Leicester goalkeeper said: ‘It was damn nice to see him smile and laugh and be himself. Just notice that he is there.
‘It was a wonderful experience and something that has helped me see that he was okay after lying there.
‘We talked about nothing and everything. As long as he is well – that has been the most important thing. He has experienced something that we have not experienced.
‘He has a completely different experience of the situation. It was great to talk to him, and now we have a lot of work to try to navigate.’
Schmeichel, who helped form a protective barrier around Eriksen with the rest of his team-mates, also opened up on the ‘violent experience’ of seeing his friend receive CPR on the pitch.
‘It’s a violent experience,’ he said. ‘But he is here today, and I am very grateful for that
The only heroes there are are the doctors who saved him. We are professional football players, but these people dedicate their lives to saving people. That they could do it under that pressure.
‘I cannot describe how much admiration I have for them. That they could bring him back is a miracle. I even think about how I would have my team-mates react if I was lying there. And then we have some amazing people on this team. A captain and a coach who knows how to act.
The ex-Spurs star, who now plays for Inter Milan, was taken to hospital in a stable condition
Leicester goalkeeper Schmeichel speaks to the media about his visit to Eriksen in hospital
‘It characterises us as a team and country that we stand together until the very end.
‘Personally, I tried to imagine if it was me who was lying there. I knew Christian’s wife, children, and parents were there, so at one point I tried to look for them.
‘It is an inhuman situation for them to go through.’
Schmeichel also reserved special praise for his captain Simon Kjaer, who was the first to attend to Eriksen and helped open his airway before medics arrived, and later consoled the midfielder’s wife Sabrina.
‘I am incredibly proud to have him as captain,’ Schmeichel said of Kjaer, who also visited Eriksen in hospital on Sunday.
Simon Kjaer and Schmeichel consoled Eriksen’s wife and reassured her on the sideline
‘It does not surprise me that he did as he did. He has an incredibly sensitive and human side of him. Simon and Christian spend a lot of time together in Milan as they live close to each other.
‘We did not make any decisions. We did, as we did. I think it’s a very natural thing.
‘Simon… I do not know what to say. He is not only an exceptional person.’
In a short statement to Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday, Eriksen confirmed that he is feeling better and thanked everyone who helped save his life.
He said: ‘Thank you, I won’t give up. I feel better now – but I want to understand what’s happened.
‘I want to say thank you all for what you did for me.’
