The Journey Of Christian Eriksen. A Fairytale Return

After 259 days of his absence, Christian Eriksen marked his return to international football with a goal in the game against the Netherlands just two minutes after coming onto the pitch as a half-time substitute.

The Danish midfielder who had not played for his country since the game against Finland and the euro 2020 tournament where he suffered a career-threatening cardiac arrest put a big smile on the face of the football world when he scored a beautiful curling effort with his first touch of the game. In the post match interview, he described the comeback as “Perfect” following his Cardiac Arrest.

The making of a puppet master

The past 10 months has been a tough time for Eriksen. He openly admitted in an interview with Danish TV station DR1 that he considered quitting football once he realized what had happened to him. According to the player, while being taken out of the pitch in an ambulance he was thinking “Keep my boots, I won’t play again.” I tell my fiancee Sabrina the same: “I’m not going to play again, no way.”‘

Fitted with an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator), the former Tottenham star, was advised by doctors to quit football to avoid the risk of another heart attack. However, his love for football would make him make attempts to return to the pitch.

According to him, a crucial factor in his return was the support of his family. I’m forever in love with football,’ he said. ‘I can feel they [his family] support my desire to play again. If Sabrina had said: “I don’t want you to play anymore,” this would be a very different situation.

After months of waiting for his medical clearance, the Dane finally got a chance to play football again having signed a 6 months deal with Premier League outfit Brentford in January. In 3 appearances he’s provided one assist for The Bees.

Looking forward to his future, Eriksen says he plans to participate in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In his interview with Danish outlet DR he said, ‘My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar. I want to play. ‘That’s been my mindset all along. It’s a goal, a dream. Whether I’ll be picked is another thing. But it’s my dream to come back’.