Christian Eriksen has posted the first picture of himself in hospital since he suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 clash with Finland on Saturday.
The Inter Milan and former Tottenham midfielder collapsed during the first half of the group game in Copenhagen and required 13 minutes of CPR before he was taken to hospital in a stable condition, where he remains.
Eriksen released his first public statement since the incident on Monday, insisting he ‘feels better’ and ‘won’t give up’. He’s now posted a photo on Instagram of himself giving a thumbs up in his hospital bed.
Christian Eriksen gave fans a thumbs up on Instagram from hospital after his cardiac arrest
The Danish star suffered a cardiac arrest during his country’s Euro 2020 game with Finland
The former Tottenham midfielder, who now plays for Inter Milan, was taken to hospital in a stable condition, where he remains
In the caption, the 29-year old said: ‘Hello everyone. Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world. It means a lot to me and my family.
‘I’m fine – under the circumstances. I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel okay.
‘Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches. Play for all of Denmark. Best, Christian’.
On Monday, Eriksen thanked fans for their support and concern, and vowed to get to the bottom of why he experienced such a sudden and serious health emergency in a short statement released to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport via his agent.
Eriksen’s statement read: ‘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.’
Eriksen has been in contact with both his Danish and Inter Milan team-mates on FaceTime calls and has been said to be joking: ‘I think you’re feeling worse than I am!’
The former Spurs midfielder also suggested he would be ‘ready to train’ now, just two days on from his collapse.
Eriksen remains in hospital in Copenhagen with his wife Sabrina and parents, father Thomas and mother Dorthe at his bedside.
Captain Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel have visited their team-mate in hospital.
The 29-year-old Inter Milan star has been joined by his wife family at his hospital bedside
‘Now he just has to rest, with him are his wife and parents,’ Eriksen’s agent said.
‘He will remain under observation. But in any case he wants to cheer on his team-mates against Belgium.’
Eriksen’s picture comes just a day after some of his team-mates spoke for the first time about the harrowing incident in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg said his midfield colleague’s ‘eyes were white’ on the pitch while Barcleona’s Martin Braithwaite added: ‘We were about to lose a friend and a team-mate’.
Hojbjerg, Braithwaite and Leicester City goalkeeper Schmeichel all spoke on Monday morning at a press conference – the first time any of Eriksen’s Denmark team-mates have appeared publicly since Saturday’s game.
Schmeichel said: ‘I have chosen to say to myself that this has had a happy ending – it’s not the end yet, but it could have been so much worse.
‘I am grateful to be part of a team that has stood together as much as we have done. And I’m grateful Christian’s still here.
‘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, Braithwaite and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg all spoke emotionally on their team-mate
Braithwaite added: ‘We were all about to lose a friend and a team-mate. I do not remember exactly what I said in the prayer. But it has strengthened my faith, that’s for sure.’
Hojbjerg said: ‘I saw Christian lying there and looking towards the field. His eyes were white and I thought it looked very strange. I saw Simon Kjaer rush off, and then you start thinking what it is. I walked slowly across the bench.
‘More and more first aiders came over, and I could see Simon waving his arms. I stood for a long time with the coaches and talked, and I could see that there are some arms that move with the first aid. That was creepy.’
In a video call from Eriksen to the team Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand said the 29-year-old Inter Milan midfielder reassured the group that he was ‘more concerned’ about them.
Hjulmand said: ‘Christian was concerned about us and his family. He said, “I don’t remember much, I’m more concerned about how you guys are doing. I think you are feeling worse than I am. I feel as if I’m about to go training now, boys”.
The players were clearly devastated but were made to return to finish the Finland match
‘That’s typical Christian. He’s a hell of a player, but what a person he is as well.
‘He would like us to play. It was good to see him smile and we will try to get ourselves together and play for Christian.
‘We will try to establish normality as much as possible. Maybe, for some, the time is too short to play football again, but maybe we can use it as a force to get together.’
Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed on Sunday: ‘He was gone.
‘We did cardiac resuscitation, it was cardiac arrest. How close were we? I don’t know. We got him back after one defib so that’s quite fast. We don’t have an explanation why it happened.’
Denmark must now prepare for their second game of the Euros against Belgium at the same venue on Thursday, although Hjulmand said that speaking to Eriksen via videolink had helped his players.
More to follow.
