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Published 12:03 IST, June 14th 2021

Will Christian Eriksen play again? When will Eriksen return to football?

'Will Christian Eriksen play again'? is the common question raised by fans around the world after the Denmark midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest on Saturday.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Christian Eriksen | Image: self

The sporting world has had an anxious wait to get an update of Christian Eriksen's health ever since the Denmark midfielder collapsed in the middle of the pitch on Saturday evening, causing the match to be suspended just minutes before halftime. During Denmark's opening Euro 2020 tie against Finland, Eriksen fell to the ground when a throw-in was directed towards him. The Inter Milan midfielder's loss of consciousness prompted alarm amongst fans, pundits, broadcasters and the rest of the world, who began fearing the worst.

However, some positive news came out later that night as Eriksen regained consciousness and also had a video chat with the rest of his team as confirmed by the Danish FA. The Denmark talisman suffered a cardiac arrest and "was gone" before he was resuscitated, said the team's doctor, Morten Boesen, in a news conference on Sunday. Considering the seriousness of his health concern the questions that arise are: 'Will Christian Eriksen play again' or 'when will Eriksen return to football?'

Christian Eriksen health update: Christian Eriksen cardiac arrest confirmed by doctors

The Euro 2020 encounter between Denmark and Finland was stopped just minutes before halftime when players from both ends signalled the medical team to come onto the pitch to attend to Christian Eriksen. After receiving CPR and chest compressions on the field for over 10 minutes, Eriksen was stretchered off the pitch. Following further medical treatment, the Denmark midfielder was immediately taken to the hospital.

Speaking of the incident Boesen said, "He was gone, and we did cardiac resuscitation. It was a cardiac arrest. How close were we [to losing Eriksen]? I don't know. We got him back after one defibrillator, so that's quite fast. I'm not a cardiologist, so the details I will leave to the experts at the hospital."

Fans will be delighted to know that the latest Christian Eriksen health update is a positive one as reported by Denmark's coach, Kasper Hjulmand. Hjulmand revealed that Eriksen was in a good mood when he had a video call with the rest of the squad. "Christian was concerned about us and he doesn’t remember a lot about yesterday so he asked how the team was doing. Christian is a big person. He felt that he can play because he is at his happiest on the pitch," said Hjulmand. Hence, the question that arises is: 'Will Christian Eriksen play again?'

Will Christian Eriksen play again? When will Eriksen return to football?

According to Sanjay Sharma, professor of sports cardiology at St George's Univerisity in London, Christian Eriksen is happy to be alive and that he sees no reason why he should be permitted to play again considering what he suffered on the pitch on Saturday evening. Sharma said, "I don't know whether he'll ever play football again. Without putting it too bluntly, he died today, albeit for a few minutes, but he did die and would the medical professional allow him to die again? The answer is no." Sharma added that at least in the UK Eriksen will not be allowed to play as medical professionals would have been very strict about it. Meanwhile, the reason behind the Christian Eriksen cardiac arrest is yet unknown.

Updated 13:23 IST, June 15th 2021

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