At 16.44 on Saturday 12th June 2021 members of the Denmark national team created a shield of protection and support around their fellow countryman, Christian Eriksen, as he lay stricken on the football pitch surrounded by paramedics after collapsing with no indication to viewers to what was wrong. Shortly after the match was paused we found out he had a sudden heart attack.
However, this is not an isolated incident. There have been many instances of footballers having heart conditions. Former West Ham midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe tragically passed away on 26 June 2003 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Nwankano Kanu, Daley Blind and Fabrice Muamba have also all had conditions over the years.
259 days later on February 26th, 2022, in the 52nd minute of a Premier League match between Brentford and Newcastle United, every spectator in the Brentford Community Stadium and many thousands more worldwide tuned in to the game and applauded Christian Eriksen as he made his return to first-team action.
Rapturous roars and increasingly red palming hand-clapping created a noise greater than that of many goals scored in a Brentford Stadium.
The moment Eriksen returned to action.
It was a sight that many thought they would never see again as it is a rarity for a professional athlete to experience such a life-threatening incident as Eriksen did and return to compete at the highest level of their given sport.
For the 43 minutes that Eriksen was on the pitch against Newcastle, he did not look out of place and completed 14 of his 25 attempted passes, displaying a range of short and long passes. He also took charge of set pieces after coming on.
Although it has only been eight months since Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while participating in the Euros for Denmark, his journey to full fitness has not been a short or easy one. But one filled with determination, belief and a desire to return to the game he loves.
While playing for Denmark against Finland at Euro 2020 Eriksen suffered a sudden heart attack while he was about to receive a throw-in from a teammate and collapsed in a forward motion.
‘Life-saving’
His teammate Simon Kjaer swiftly put him on his side to ensure his airway was open and within seconds Denmark’s fast-acting team Doctor, his staff and stadium medics rushed to Eriksen’s aid and were able to resuscitate him by performing CPR, massaging his heart and using a defibrillator. “We felt the pulse, but pretty quickly the picture changed, and then we started life-saving heart treatment.”, recalled Denmark’s team doctor during a press conference the following day.
Eriksen would spend 6 days in hospital and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), an electrical device that helps regulate abnormal heart rhythms during that time.
At the time of collapsing Eriksen was contracted to Inter Milan who play in Italy’s Serie A, but left them by mutual consent on Dec 17 2021 as Italian football rules indicate a player cannot participate in a match with an ICD heart starter.
Eriksen joined Brentford after returning to individual training with his personal trainer at one of his former clubs Odense Boldklub only six months after suffering his cardiac arrest.
He stepped up his recovery by training with Ajax’s reserve team in January before Brentford announced his signing on January 31st 2022 via their website and twitter.
https://twitter.com/BrentfordFC/status/1488059481707659264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1488059481707659264%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skysports.com%2Ffootball%2Fnews%2F11748%2F12529153%2Fchristian-eriksen-brentford-sign-former-tottenham-midfielder-just-seven-months-on-from-cardiac-arrest
Footballers who have suffered from heart conditions
Marc-Vivien Foe – During a FIFA Confederations cup semi-finals match between Cameroon and Colombia, former West Ham all-round midfielder Marc Vivian Foe collapsed unchallenged and with no other player around him and tragically passed away despite attempts to resuscitate him for almost an hour. After two autopsies it was ruled that Foe had died from a cardiac arrest.
Nwankwo Kanu – In 1996 former Ajax and Nigerian footballer Nwankwo Kanu’s heart was operated on after it was discovered that he was born with a congenital heart defect that impeded his aortic valve from closing properly. After a successful operation but doubt from many around him of a return to the game, Kanu would go on to receive annual medical check-ups for his condition and continue his career playing for Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth in the Premier League.
Daley Blind – After suffering from dizziness in early December 2019 while playing for Ajax, the former Manchester United player would later undertake several medical examinations which revealed he had heart muscle inflammation: Cardiomyopathy – walls of the heart chambers have become stretched, thickened or stiff affecting the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body well. He was soon fitted with an ICD and returned to action in February 2020. Although he suffered a scare in August 2020, collapsing during a friendly for Ajax against Hertha Belin, Blind has played 30 games in the Dutch Eredivisie and Champions League this season.
Fabrice Muamba – While playing for Bolton Wanderers in an FA cup match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on March 17th 2012, Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and despite receiving 15 defibrillation shocks in between the ground and Bethnal Green hospital was “In effect dead” for 78 minutes. After miraculously regaining consciousness and after further tests, Muamba was fitted with an ICD and discharged from hospital on April 16th. Based on the recommendations from various health professionals Muamba announced his retirement from football on August 15th 2012.
Below is a link to whfc.com paying tribute to Marc Vivian Foe on June 26th 2020 17 years after he passed away.
Marc-Vivien Foé – A great loss to the football world | West Ham United (whufc.com)
