Christian Eriksen played for Inter from January 2020 to December 2021, making 60 appearances and scoring 8 goals. His time in Milan included a lost Europa League final, a difficult first year under Antonio Conte and the 2021 Serie A title. After his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 he had to leave, because Italian rules do not allow professional players with an ICD. This is the full story.
Christian Eriksen at Inter: the January 2020 move
On 28 January 2020 Inter confirmed that Eriksen had signed a four-and-a-half-year contract running to summer 2024 (official announcement on inter.it). His Tottenham deal had six months left, and the fee was reported at about €19.7m (£16.9m), while Transfermarkt lists €27m. He wore number 24.
He made his debut off the bench the next day in a 2-1 Coppa Italia quarter-final win over Fiorentina. His first goal came on 20 February 2020 in a 2-0 Europa League win at Ludogorets, and his first Serie A goal on 1 July 2020 in a 6-0 win over Brescia. His previous chapter is on Christian Eriksen at Tottenham.
The 2020 Europa League final against Sevilla
After the pandemic break the Europa League was completed in August 2020. Inter reached the final, which Sevilla won 3-2 on 21 August 2020. Eriksen played in it, and having lost the Champions League final with Spurs a year earlier he became the first player to lose Champions League and Europa League finals in consecutive seasons. His first half-season ended with 26 appearances and 4 goals in all competitions.
A difficult first year under Antonio Conte
Eriksen struggled to establish himself under Conte, and in December 2020 Inter director Giuseppe Marotta confirmed, according to Wikipedia, that the club was open to selling him in January. Team-mate Romelu Lukaku pointed to the language barrier as part of the explanation. Conte nevertheless said that winter that Eriksen would stay. Transfermarkt’s valuation shows how quickly opinion moved: €85m in March 2020, €35m at the end of December 2020.
The free kick against Milan and the 2020–21 Serie A title
On 26 January 2021 Eriksen came on in the Coppa Italia quarter-final against AC Milan at 1-1 and scored a direct free kick in the 97th minute to win the tie. It was the start of a better spell, and he was part of Inter’s run-in to the title. On 1 May 2021 he scored in a 2-0 win at Crotone, and the next day Inter were confirmed as champions – his first league title since Ajax. He finished the season with 34 appearances and 4 goals in all competitions.
Christian Eriksen’s salary at Inter
Inter never published his wages. Media reports in 2020, cited by Wikipedia among others, put the deal at about €10m a year before tax; some outlets mentioned around €7.5m after tax. These are estimates, not confirmed by Eriksen or the club, and the terms of the 2021 termination were not disclosed either. For comparison, his reported Wolfsburg salary was about €3.5m a year gross (BILD via Tipsbladet, 2025). More on Christian Eriksen’s salary and net worth.
The cardiac arrest and Italy’s ICD rules
On 12 June 2021 Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland in Copenhagen. He was resuscitated on the pitch and was fitted with an ICD – a small implanted defibrillator – before leaving Rigshospitalet on 18 June 2021. The events are covered calmly and with sources on Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.
For his Inter career the ICD was decisive. Under Italian sports-medical rules a professional footballer with an ICD cannot receive the required certification, and on 29 October 2021 it was confirmed that he could not play in Serie A. England and Germany apply different rules. In autumn 2021 he kept fit by training alone at OB in Odense and also at Ajax.
Contract terminated on 17 December 2021
On 17 December 2021 Inter announced that the contract had been terminated by mutual consent. That left Eriksen without a club for the first time in his career, free to sign in a country whose rules allow playing with an ICD. On 31 January 2022 he joined Brentford and made his comeback on 26 February 2022 (Christian Eriksen at Brentford). In total he played 60 games and scored 8 goals for Inter. All his clubs are on the Christian Eriksen career page.
Christian Eriksen at Inter: FAQ
When did Christian Eriksen play for Inter?
From 28 January 2020, when he arrived from Tottenham, to 17 December 2021, when the contract was terminated by mutual consent. He played 60 games and scored 8 goals.
Did Christian Eriksen win anything with Inter?
Yes, the Serie A title in 2020–21. In 2020 he lost the Europa League final 3-2 to Sevilla.
What was Christian Eriksen’s salary at Inter?
It was never published. Media reports in 2020 put it at about €10m a year before tax. That is an estimate that neither Eriksen nor Inter confirmed.
Why did Christian Eriksen leave Inter?
After his cardiac arrest in June 2021 he was fitted with an ICD. Italian sports-medical rules do not allow professional players with an ICD, which was confirmed on 29 October 2021, and the contract was terminated on 17 December 2021.
Who was Christian Eriksen’s coach at Inter?
Antonio Conte, who was in charge throughout the period in which Eriksen played for Inter, from January 2020 to summer 2021.
What is Christian Eriksen’s most famous Inter goal?
His 97th-minute free kick against AC Milan in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on 26 January 2021, which won the match 2-1.