Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on Saturday 12 June 2021 at Parken in Copenhagen, just before half-time in Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland. He collapsed with no player near him, received CPR and one shock from a defibrillator on the pitch, and was conscious when he was carried off. Six days later he left Rigshospitalet with an implanted defibrillator (ICD), and by February 2022 he was playing in the Premier League again.
What happened to Christian Eriksen on 12 June 2021
It was Denmark’s opening match of Euro 2020, played in the summer of 2021. The crowd at Parken was 13,790, Anthony Taylor was the referee and the game kicked off at 18:00 local time. The timeline below follows what DBU, UEFA and the team doctor said publicly.
- Just before half-time, around 18:43: Eriksen collapses near the left touchline as he is about to receive a throw-in. No other player is close to him. Sources give either the 42nd or the 43rd minute.
- Immediately: captain Simon Kjær reaches him first and starts first aid. Team doctor Morten Boesen and the stadium medics arrive within seconds.
- About ten minutes on the pitch: CPR and one defibrillator shock.
- Afterwards: he is carried off on a stretcher, conscious, and taken to Rigshospitalet, next to the stadium. The match is suspended.
- Around an hour later: UEFA and DBU say he is stable and awake, and that he has sent greetings to his team-mates.
- 20:30: the match resumes and Finland win 1-0 through Pohjanpalo.
The players chose to finish the game that evening rather than at noon the next day. Kasper Hjulmand and Morten Boesen later said they regretted that it was played on, Peter Schmeichel said the players had “no choice”, and UEFA denied threatening Denmark with a forfeit.
CPR and the defibrillator: the help on the pitch
Simon Kjær made sure Eriksen could breathe, put him in the recovery position and began first aid until Morten Boesen and the medical staff took over. They gave CPR and used a defibrillator. Boesen said the next day: “He was gone … We got him back after one defib. That’s quite fast.”
Kjær then organised the Danish players into a ring around Eriksen to shield him from cameras and spectators, and together with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel he comforted Eriksen’s partner Sabrina, who had come down to the pitch. Kjær was widely praised afterwards for his calm and quick response.
Rigshospitalet and the ICD operation
On 13 June Boesen confirmed it had been a cardiac arrest. On 15 June Eriksen posted a photo from hospital saying he was “fine under the circumstances”. On 17 June DBU announced he would be fitted with an ICD, which Boesen said was “necessary due to rhythm disturbances”. The operation went well and he was discharged on 18 June, visiting the squad at their base in Helsingør before going home. Beyond what DBU and Eriksen have said, no further details of his health have been published, and we do not speculate.
Denmark dedicated their 4-1 win over Russia on 21 June to him and reached the semi-final, losing 2-1 to England after extra time on 7 July 2021. UEFA named Eriksen player of the match against Finland – his only game of the tournament.
Christian Eriksen heart device: what an ICD is
According to sundhed.dk, the Danish public health portal, an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) is a small defibrillator about the size of a matchbox, placed under the skin, usually on the left side of the chest, with one or two leads to the heart. It monitors the heart rhythm and can deliver impulses or a shock if a dangerous rhythm disturbance occurs, such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. It also works as a pacemaker.
A public defibrillator (AED) – the kind found at stations, sports halls and stadiums – can be used by anyone. Once the pads are on the chest it analyses the rhythm itself, gives spoken instructions and only delivers a shock if the rhythm calls for it. The Danish Heart Foundation’s Hjerteredder course teaches the sequence: make the area safe, check whether the person is unconscious, call 112, give chest compressions and rescue breaths (30 and 2), and use a defibrillator. This page is not medical advice – always talk to your own doctor.
The evening at Parken also moved many Danes to volunteer. According to Reuters (17 June 2021), Denmark’s “heart runner” scheme, backed by TrygFonden, received around 700 new sign-ups between the match and the next morning, against 90-100 on a normal weekend, Professor Fredrik Folke said.
Christian Eriksen collapse video: what exists
The match footage belongs to UEFA and the rights-holding broadcasters; Danish broadcasters DR and TV 2 have news reports from that evening and the days after. The pictures went out live and many viewers found them hard to watch – the BBC alone received 6,417 complaints about the live images of the resuscitation, according to BBC News. We do not show or link to footage of the collapse or the treatment. The timeline above tells what happened, and a first-aid course is the more useful next step.
The road back to football
Eriksen gave his first interview to DR1 on 6 January 2022 (“Christian Eriksen – min historie”). He remembers everything except the minutes his heart stopped, and told BBC Sport in February 2022: “I was gone from this world for five minutes until they got my heartbeat back.”
On 29 October 2021 it was confirmed that Italian sports-medical rules would not let him play in Serie A with an ICD. He trained alone at OB in Odense and at Ajax, and his Inter contract was terminated by mutual consent on 17 December 2021. On 31 January 2022 he signed a six-month deal with Brentford under Thomas Frank, his former Denmark U17 coach, and made his comeback against Newcastle on 26 February, 259 days after the arrest – the full story is on our Eriksen at Brentford page.
On 26 March 2022 he returned for Denmark in Amsterdam and scored within two minutes of coming on, and three days later he captained the side and scored in a 3-0 win over Serbia at Parken. He joined Manchester United that summer and won the Laureus Comeback of the Year award in 2023. His full international career is covered under Eriksen and Denmark.
Almost five years later, on 7 June 2026, he collapsed again in a friendly against Ukraine in Odense, where his ICD intervened – see the 2026 collapse in Odense. As of 27 October 2026, Christian Eriksen is without a club after his contract with VfL Wolfsburg was terminated on 23 September 2026.
Questions about the 2021 cardiac arrest
What happened to Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020?
He suffered a cardiac arrest just before half-time in Denmark’s match against Finland at Parken on 12 June 2021. He was resuscitated on the pitch with CPR and one defibrillator shock and taken to Rigshospitalet, where he was later fitted with an ICD.
Did Christian Eriksen die?
No. Christian Eriksen survived. His heart stopped for a few minutes before the medical team restarted it – he has described being “gone from this world for five minutes” – and he went on to play for Brentford, Manchester United, VfL Wolfsburg and Denmark again.
Who saved Christian Eriksen?
Simon Kjær reached him first and started first aid. Team doctor Morten Boesen and the stadium medics then gave CPR and one defibrillator shock, which restarted his heart.
Why could Eriksen not play in Italy after his cardiac arrest?
Italian sports-medical rules do not allow professional players with an ICD to be certified fit. His Inter contract was therefore ended in December 2021. The Premier League and the Bundesliga allowed him to play with the device.
Has Christian Eriksen collapsed more than once?
Yes. On 7 June 2026 he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine in Odense, and his ICD delivered a shock. He came round quickly, walked off and was discharged the next day, saying it was a different situation from 2021.