Christian Eriksen: Denmark midfielder says his goal is to play at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following cardiac arrest
ByTNT Sports
Updated 04/01/2022 at 22:35 GMT
Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest last June stunned observers around the world and plenty questioned whether the midfielder would survive after collapsing on the pitch. At the start of 2022, Eriksen has publically revealed that he is looking to play for Denmark at the World Cup this year to "prove that it was a one-timer."
Eriksen: I want to play at the World Cup in Qatar
Christian Eriksen says he hopes to play for Denmark at the Qatar World Cup just months after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
The 29-year-old received life-saving treatment on the pitch during Denmark's Group B opener against Finland in June before he was rushed to hospital and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device.
Eriksen left Inter Milan last month as Serie A rules state you cannot play with an ICD. Now a free agent, Eriksen has been training on his own at former club Odense and with Swiss side Chiasso.
The former Tottenham midfielder says he hopes to play for his country again this year on the biggest stage.
"My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar,” Eriksen told Danish broadcaster DR1.
"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. I’m sure I can because I don’t feel any different. Physically, I’m back in top shape.
"My dream is to rejoin the national team and play at Parken again and prove that it was a one-timer and that it won’t happen again.
"I want to prove I’ve moved on and that I can play [for] the national team again. Again, it’s up to the manager to assess my level. But my heart is not an obstacle."
Eriksen also revealed in the interview that he "died for five minutes" and thanked the doctors who saved his life.
He added: "At the hospital, they kept saying I’d received more and more flowers. It was weird because I didn’t expect people to send flowers because I’d died for five minutes.
"It was quite extraordinary but it was very nice of everyone and it’s been a big help to me to receive all those best wishes.
"And people still write to me .. all the fans who’ve sent thousands of letters and emails and flowers, or who’ve come up to me on the street, I thank them all for the support … that helped me through this."
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