It’s hard to believe how much Christian Eriksen’s life has changed since he suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch in Denmark. (opens in a new tab)the opening match of Euro 2020.
The entire footballing world was shocked to see a player in top form, at the peak of his career, experience such a sudden and unexpected collapse.
The seriousness of what had happened was immediately apparent to players and officials, with medical assistance dispatched to the field of play.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation were performed on Eriksen, who was stretched and taken to hospital, with many fearing the worst.
Fortunately, positive updates came quickly and Eriksen was released less than a week later after having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted.
As the playmaker focused on his recovery, Denmark reached the semi-finals in his absence, ultimately losing to England. (opens in a new tab) in overtime.
There were understandable concerns that Eriksen could never play professional football again, but he joined Brentford (opens in a new tab) in January and had an immediate impact.
His quality was evident to all as the Bees enjoyed an improvement in form which helped them avoid relegation problems.
They have won five out of six games, including a 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea (opens in a new tab) at Stamford Bridge where Eriksen was on the scoresheet for the first time.
After proving he could still play at the highest level, unaffected by the traumatic events of last summer, the 30-year-old secured a move to Manchester United. (opens in a new tab) on a free transfer.
He’s been a regular so far under Erik ten Hag as the Red Devils have improved since losing his first two games in charge.
Eriksen also returned to the Denmark squad in March, coming off the bench to score against the Netherlands. (opens in a new tab) in his first game back.
He will again take on the penalty shootout duties, with a record 12 goals from 13 attempts for his country.
