AP Photo/Andreas Schaad

Christian Eriksen Released From Hospital After Heart Surgery Following Cardiac Arrest

Mike Chiari

Denmark soccer star Christian Eriksen was released from the hospital Friday just six days after going into cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 match against Finland.

The Denmark national team said Eriksen underwent an operation before his discharge and visited the national team upon leaving the hospital:

On Thursday, the Denmark national team doctor said in a statement that Eriksen agreed to have a heart-starter device implanted in order to prevent cardiac arrest in the future.

It was late in the first half of Denmark's first Euro 2020 match against Finland when Eriksen collapsed, causing his teammates to frantically call for help.

Per ESPN's Connor O'Halloran, team doctor Morten Boesen said Eriksen went into cardiac arrest and was "gone" before he was administered CPR and had his heart restarted by a defibrillator.

Eriksen seemed to be conscious as he was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to the hospital.

The match was suspended at that point and finished later in the day with Finland prevailing by a 1-0 score.

According to Reuters (h/t ESPN), Eriksen had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) put into his body. It is essentially a pacemaker that can send a jolt to his heart and prevent him from having a fatal cardiac arrest.

It was noted by Reuters that the Italian FA does not allow players to play with internal defibrillators, meaning Eriksen would need a waiver of some kind to continue playing his club football at Inter Milan.

The 29-year-old, who is perhaps best known for his success at Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur, returned home with his family after visiting with his teammates, per the statement.

In his statement, Eriksen noted that he will be pulling for his team when Denmark faces Russia in their final Group B match on Monday.

Denmark are currently last in Group B with two losses, but with a win over Russia and a Belgium victory over Finland, Denmark still has a chance to advance to the knockout stage depending on its goal difference.

   

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