The moment when time stood still:
On Tuesday, it is 528 days since one of the most dramatic events in football history.
It has been 528 days since people all over the world stood still.
It is 528 days since Christian Eriksen was dead for five minutes.
– It is terrible to look back and think about how the situation in my life was then. It’s a big contrast to sit here and have to participate in the World Cup. I am very grateful, says Eriksen in an interview with Fifa this week.
When Eriksen fell over, it was in front of his teammates and a packed Parken in Copenhagen.
They will probably never forget the incident.
SHOCK: The Danish players while Eriksen received life-saving help. Photo: LISELOTTE SABROE
– I was no hero
While the spectators and TV viewers reacted with shock and disbelief, captain Simon Kjær kept a cool head.
He rushed over and checked his teammate’s pulse. Then he put Eriksen in a stable side position while the medical apparatus rushed onto the field.
CAPTAIN: Simon Kjær stood by Christian Eriksen’s side. Photo: Wolfgang Rattay
The players gathered in a ring with their backs to Eriksen. You could clearly see how hard it was on them.
Behind the players, aid crews were doing active life-saving in the middle of the grass mat.
On the TV pictures, which were to be heavily criticized afterwards, you could see Eriksen receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They were also shown pictures of the body’s reaction to the defibrillator’s electric shock.
National team captain Kjær stood with his back to the TV camera. He was looking at Eriksen the whole time.
THE GUARDIAN: Simon Kjær was unable to let his teammate out of sight. Photo: Friedemann Vogel
Then Kjær stormed over to the other side of the pitch, together with keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
In the stands was Eriksen’s partner and mother of their child, Sabrina Kvist Jensen, TV images showed the two Denmark stars comforting Eriksen’s partner.
STRONG: Simon Kjær and Kasper Schmeichel take care of Sabrina Kvist Jensen. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand
Kjær and the medical apparatus were later to receive awards for the heroic efforts they showed when Eriksen fell over.
The national team captain is heavily tattooed. Simon Kjær’s entire body is covered in ink, mostly Bible verses and people found in the Bible, among them Jesus.
But Kjær does not see himself as a savior.
– I was no hero.
– I just did what I was forced to do. As everyone else would do, Kjær said in the wake of the incident.
HOPE: The pictures of Christian Eriksen alive on his way out of the Park gave hope to the whole world. Photo: Friedemann Vogel
– I just sat and stared out into the rain
The incident hit hard for all football fans. Not least those who were close to Eriksen. In NRK’s EC broadcast was Denmark’s former national team manager Åge Hareide, who during his time in Denmark developed a close relationship with Eriksen.
– I was so afraid that he was going to die. I ran through the rain to my apartment in Trondheim. I had to wake up. I had to be alone. I just sat and stared into the rain. Nothing about meaning, wrote Hareide in a blog on Danish BT.
NEAR: Åge Hareide had the honor of awarding Eriksen a gift when he played match number 100 for Denmark in March 2022. Photo: LISELOTTE SABROE
It was uncertain for a long time what would happen to Christian Eriksen’s football career. Most people thought it was over. His club Inter released him from the contract, but Eriksen was determined.
Already in his first interview after the accident, he stated that the WC in Qatar was his goal.
Tuesday marks 528 days since Eriksen was dead for five minutes. Then he stands out on the grass in Qatar with the red national team kit.
– I don’t think scoring a goal will give much sense of achievement. The goal was to come back, get healthy and get my life back. Everything else was just a plus, so getting to play in the World Cup is of course great, says Eriksen in the Fifa interview.
Together with most of the players who formed a ring around him, he will again participate in a championship for Denmark.
– We said it before he fell over too, Christian is the heart of our national team, says national team manager Kasper Hjulmand to TV 2 after Denmark’s training on Friday.
Watch Christian Eriksen talk about the serious incident
– It is a miracle
Martin Braithwaite was on the pitch when Eriksen fell over in 2021. Now they are in Qatar together. For TV 2, he describes how great it is to have Eriksen with him at the WC.
– It’s fantastic to have him back. You see how quickly things can happen. He was back already a year later. It’s a miracle when you think back on it, says Braithwaite.
TV 2 also spoke to Denmark’s national team manager Kasper Hjulmand after training.
– Firstly, it is absolutely fantastic that he is here. Not many survive what happened to him. He also survived without permanent husbands. It has been extremely moving, it has also put things into perspective for me, says Hjulmand to TV 2.
– We have probably all become better at coping with adversity after what happened. Appreciating things in life.
BELIEF: Kasper Hjulmand believes Denmark can do well in the WC. Photo: RITZAU SCANPIX
Leeds United profile and Denmark right-back Rasmus Kristensen was also available to the press after training.
– What does it mean that Christian Eriksen is at the WC?
– It is a dream for me. For me, Christian is one of Denmark’s best footballers of all time. It is an honor for me to play with him. He is also an absolutely fantastic person off the pitch, says Kristensen.
Feels like everything is a win
Denmark is in a group with France, Australia and Tunisia. A group from which it is absolutely possible to progress to the playoffs.
You can watch the match against Tunisia on TV 2, while the other matches are broadcast on NRK.
Do you have a different perspective than before?
– Yes, I think so. I didn’t feel stressed before, in any way. But now, in a strange way, I’ve got the idea that everything is a victory, says Eriksen.
