Danish soccer star Christian Eriksen sparked panic on Sunday after collapsing on the field during Denmark’s exhibition match against Ukraine — five years after he nearly died from cardiac arrest during the Euros.
The frightening moment unfolded in the 65th minute at Odense Stadium in Denmark, when the 34-year-old appeared to clutch his chest before suddenly going down.
🚨 Cristian Eriksen has taken ill on the pitch again pic.twitter.com/OQoyxV5MQR
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) June 7, 2026
Fans and players were left stunned as medical staff rushed onto the field.
Eriksen was briefly unconscious, according to Denmark’s team doctor, but quickly came around. He was later able to walk off the pitch on his own before being taken to a hospital for further testing.
“Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch by himself,” Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said in a statement.
Boesen said Eriksen’s pacemaker appeared to respond properly during the terrifying scare.
“As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should,” he said.
The doctor added that Eriksen was only unconscious for a short time and was communicating with medical staff soon after collapsing.
“He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him,” Boesen said.
Eriksen will now undergo additional hospital examinations to determine what caused the incident.
“We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital,” Boesen said.
Despite the shocking scene, Eriksen reportedly sent a message to his teammates letting them know he was okay.
“Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay,” Boesen said.
The collapse was especially chilling because of Eriksen’s terrifying medical emergency in 2021, when he suffered cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland.
That incident horrified soccer fans around the world as Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the field.
Afterward, the former Manchester United star was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, known as an ICD, which is designed to help correct dangerous heart rhythms.
Sunday’s collapse brought back painful memories of that nightmare moment, even though initial updates from Denmark’s medical staff were encouraging.
Denmark did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which begins Thursday.
