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After Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during a match last June, he thought he’d never play soccer again.
Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark against Finland in the Euros. He is slated to return to the pitch in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Monday as a member of Brentford FC in the Premier League, and spoke to reporters on Friday.
“Being in the ambulance, I even told the medical people: ‘Keep my boots, I won’t need them,’ ” he said, according to ESPN.
“I said the same to Sabrina, my fiancée, a few days later. And then I also told her it might change, if everything goes well. It changed quickly but it was a long process to be where I am today, to get the full green light and really be convinced that I am able to play again.
Eriksen said he is determined to regain his former playing form.
“I felt from the beginning of this that I need to prove that you can play with an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator), if something that bad has happened. You can return to normal life afterwards. That is more motivation for me, to show I am capable of that.
“Of course I have not forgotten how to play football and my body is still the same and my vision and my ability will still be the same. That has not changed. I want to show that I am still the same player as before.”
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