When the entire world saw him faint on the pitch, watched him been resuscitated by a defibrillator and then taken to the nearest medical center, the general thought was that, sadly, this would be the end of the career of one of the best midfielders of the world. The discussion on every sports betting blog was that no doctor would ever sign the most critical of certificates that are needed for a player to play: the one that stated that he was physically fit. Yet, he proved them all wrong!
The Incident
The clock showed the 43rd minute of the match between Denmark and Finland for the first round of Euro 2021. The score was still 0-0. It was the moment that the Danish star collapsed without any evident contact with an opponent. We already described above what followed. The scene where his comrades surrounded the gurney to protect his privacy will forever remain in the eyes of every one who watched. As will be the icon of his wife crying at the hands of Casper Schmeichel.
The only person who immediately understood what was going on, was Denmark’s captain Simon Kjaer. He rushed to turn his teammate, and his intervention was critical as Christian Eriksen had suffered an asystole. After the first aid was provided, the news that came out the next day that he had survived the altercation, were blissfully received for his life and in concern for his future.
The Last Word Was Always His
Eriksen was away for the football stadiums for only seven months. The news that he received an all-clear from the doctors and signed a six-month contract with Brentford came as a shock. Specially to Inter Milan whose administration broke the contract they had when he was incapacitated. Needless to say, he wasn’t expected to do anything spectacular. It is very rare that a player can fully recover after a circumstance like this. Yet again, they were wrong.
His performances were enough to lift a relatively unknown club like Brentford to not only avoid an immediate relegation, but to finish the season at the 13th place, in the middle of the table. And that was enough for a team like Manchester United to sign him up and return him to the highest level of football. He has also been recalled to the Danish national team. After all, players of his quality do not actually grow on trees… The surprise here is that it was revealed that the Red Devils had their eyes on him from the time he was playing for the Spurs. They had tried to add him to their roster three times before he finally agreed.
The contract with the Red Devils is three-year long. While the actual remuneration was not disclosed, rumor has it that he wanted 200,000 British pounds per week and a signing bonus of 10 million pounds. However, this is not of great importance. What is, is the fact that he will cooperate with Ten Hag, a coach who had the foresight to invite him to train with Ajax during the time he was searching for a club to sign up with.
There have been plenty of similar stories in the past involving athletes that managed to return after a serious injury or a medical issue that should have prevented them from doing so. However, this story is not just about a return. It is about the strength of character that did not just lead him back to play football again. It led him to become again a member of the elite that includes the best of the best. And he does belong there.
