Christian Eriksen says he is home after collapsing in Denmark game, ICD ‘did what it was designed to do’ (original) (raw)

Christian Eriksen says he is home with his family after being hospitalised following his collapse on the pitch during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine on Sunday.

Earlier on Monday, Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen had said Eriksen was “doing well” and is expected to be discharged from hospital “soon” after the 34-year-old’s heart starter — also known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small device that regulates abnormal heart rhythms — shocked him during the match.

The fixture was abandoned after Eriksen collapsed in the 65th minute at the Odense Isstadion, Denmark after appearing to hold his chest. The midfielder, who plays for Wolfsburg in Germany, walked to a waiting ambulance which took him to hospital for further tests.

An update from Boesen on Denmark’s official social media accounts, shared by Eriksen, on Monday morning said: “I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home. We are taking good care of the players and staff and remain in regular contact with them.”

“I want to let everyone know that I am doing well and that I am home with my family,” Eriksen wrote later on Monday. “As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major impact on both me and my family, but I want to reassure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021. I am feeling good, and my recovery has already started.

“In addition to being grateful for the support and assistance of all the players and the medical team on the field, I am also incredibly grateful to the doctors who have cared for me and my heart over the years. Thanks to their expertise, my ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it.

“For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children.”

Eriksen was fitted with an ICD after suffering a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match for Denmark against Finland in 2021.

Denmark led Ukraine 2-1 on Sunday when Eriksen collapsed. Medical staff from both teams attended to him within seconds, and the game did not continue.

Boesen told reporters after Sunday’s incident that “the pacemaker responded as it should”, and that Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly”, and that he walked off the pitch by himself.

Eriksen’s former clubs, Manchester United, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur sent messages of support via social media, while his current club Wolfsburg said they were in contact with the Danish Football Association (DBU) over his condition.

Eriksen made 34 appearances for Wolfsburg in all competitions during the 2025-26 season. Sunday marked his 151st appearance for Denmark since making his international debut in 2010. Denmark failed to qualify for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.

Jun 10, 2026

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