Danish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Seria A club, Inter Milan, Christian Eriksen has made his first public statement after he collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s Euro 2020 game against Finland.
Naija News had reported that the match between Denmark and Finland on Saturday, June 12 was suspended by the UEFA European Football Championship after Danish midfielder, Eriksen, collapsed while the game was still on.
“The UEFA EURO 2020 match in Copenhagen has been suspended due to a medical emergency,” a statement from the sports body read.
It was later disclosed that the 29-year-old player had suffered a cardiac arrest. Naija News understands that it took minutes before the player was resuscitated after the incident.
Subsequently, after a statement claimed the Erikson is in stable condition but still in the hospital, the player in a short statement released to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport via his agent, thanked fans for their support and concern and vowed to find out why he suffered a serious health emergency.
The statement reads: “Thank you, I won’t give up. I feel better now – but I want to understand what’s happened.
‘I want to say thank you all for what you did for me. Now he just has to rest, with him are his wife and parents,’ Eriksen’s agent added.
‘He will remain under observation. But in any case, he wants to cheer on his teammates against Belgium.’
Naija News reports that Eriksen’s teammates, Hojbjerg, Braithwaite, and Leicester City goalkeeper Schmeichel have all expressed their feelings about the scary event that happened on Saturday.
Schmeichel said: ‘I have chosen to say to myself that this has had a happy ending – it’s not the end yet, but it could have been so much worse.
‘I am grateful to be part of a team that has stood together as much as we have done. And I’m grateful Christian’s still here. I tried to imagine if it was me who was lying there. I knew Christian’s wife, children, and parents were there, so at one point I tried to look for them. It is an inhuman situation for them to go through.’
On his part, FC Barcelona player, Braithwaite said: ‘We were all about to lose a friend and a teammate. I do not remember exactly what I said in the prayer. But it has strengthened my faith, that’s for sure.’
Hojbjerg said: ‘I saw Christian lying there and looking towards the field. His eyes were white and I thought it looked very strange. I saw Simon Kjaer rush off, and then you start thinking what it is. I walked slowly across the bench.
‘More and more first aiders came over, and I could see Simon waving his arms. I stood for a long time with the coaches and talked, and I could see that there are some arms that move with the first aid. That was creepy.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News