Eriksen 'doing well' and expected to leave the hospital after on-field collapse, Denmark team says

Christian Eriksen is “in good spirits” and expected to leave the hospital soon after collapsing on the field again playing for Denmark, the national team's physician said Monday.

The 34-year-old Eriksen, who had a pacemaker fitted to support his heart after suffering a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, clutched his chest with both hands in an off-the-ball action in the 65th minute of Denmark’s international friendly against Ukraine in Odense, Denmark, on Sunday.

After dropping to the ground, Eriksen received medical attention before walking off the field by himself, the Danish soccer federation said after the match. The midfielder underwent more tests in Odense University Hospital.

In an update provided by the federation on Monday morning, Denmark team physician Morten Boesen said: "I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well.

“He is with his family and is in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.”

Boesen said in the statement that the federation is “taking good care of the players and staff and remain in regular contact with them.”

Danish Prime Minister sends her wishes to Eriksen

In a post on Facebook late Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote she was “sending my warmest thoughts to Christian Eriksen and to all those around him who are affected,” adding that she had been relieved to hear an update on his condition after the initial shock of his latest health incident.

The game was abandoned with no further play following Eriksen's collapse after the referee conferred with staff and players from both teams.

How Eriksen resumed his playing career with an ICD

Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in the months after suffering his cardiac arrest during Denmark’s group game against Finland in the European Championship five years ago.

An ICD is described by the British Heart Foundation as a “small electrical device that can treat people with dangerously abnormal heart rhythms." The device is put under the skin in the chest, near the collarbone, the foundation said, and can give electrical pulses to help your heart beat normally if it notices an abnormal heart rhythm.

Commenting after Eriksen's collapse on Sunday, Boesen said “as I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should.” There has been no further information from team officials about what exactly caused Eriksen to clutch his chest.

Italian health regulations prohibit players from playing with a fitted ICD, so Eriksen had to leave his Italian team — Inter Milan — to resume his playing career after the 2021 incident.

That happened in England with Brentford in 2022, before three years at Manchester United (2022-25), which he left as a free agent last year.

His current team is Wolfsburg in Germany, where he has a contract through the 2026-27 season. The team, which was relegated from the top-tier Bundesliga last month, wished him a swift recovery Sunday.

Denmark did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup beginning this week in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Dusseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer