The footballer has had a special heart-starting device implanted since he collapsed during a match in 2021.
Published June 7, 2026
Danish footballer Christian Eriksen has regained consciousness after collapsing on the pitch during a friendly match against Ukraine, the Danish Football Federation announced in a post on social media.
“Christian Eriksen is conscious and doing well given the circumstances,” the federation said in a statement regarding X on Sunday, adding that the friendly had been cancelled.
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About 20 minutes into the second half of the game, Eriksen collapsed to the ground. The crowd fell silent as Danish and Ukrainian soccer players formed a circle around the midfielder.
Medics treated him on the pitch and he was eventually able to walk to the ambulance.
“Christian is in good condition and walked off the field on his own. From what I saw, his pacemaker is working properly. He briefly lost consciousness, but quickly regained consciousness and we contacted him immediately,” team doctor Morten Bosen told Danish media.
“He will now undergo further tests at the hospital to determine the cause of the incident,” Bossen said, adding that Eriksen “asked me to speak to all the players and let them know that he is okay.”
previous incident
The incident marked the second time in five years that the 34-year-old player has collapsed during a match.
In 2021, Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in Copenhagen and was given life-saving CPR treatment. He was then fitted with a special heart-starting device known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
He finished his career in Italy, playing for Inter Milan, but recovered and resumed playing professionally in 2022.
Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for this year’s World Cup.
Denmark was leading 2-1 when the match was called off.
