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Soccer

Remarkable Christian Eriksen FaceTime story sums up his character

Irish journalist Philip O'Connor joined Off The Ball to talk about being at the Parken Stadium as...



Soccer

Remarkable Christian Eriksen FaceTime story sums up his character

Irish journalist Philip O'Connor joined Off The Ball to talk about being at the Parken Stadium as Christian Eriksen collapsed in Copenhagen on Saturday.

O'Connor relayed his thoughts on seeing Eriksen go down sharply to the clear distress of nearby teammates and opponents.

We now know that Eriksen had succumbed to a cardiac arrest, and the atmosphere in the stadium reflected the severity of the situation.

Christian Eriksen

"When he collapsed onto the pitch, it was very obvious to me what had happened. You don't want to be making predictions, but it seemed to me like a heart problem," O'Connor said.

"When you see Simon Kjaer, Martin Braithwaite and Thomas Delaney getting upset and beckoning for people to come on as quickly as possible, then you know that there is something wrong there. You know when when footballers are faking it and when something is very serious.

"I looked away because I had to send a news flash but when I looked back down again at the screen I could see hands on Christian's chest and they were pumping away. I thought 'shit, this is some sort of heart stoppage.'

"I thought from the picture I had seen with his eyes open that he may have already been dead before he hit the floor.

"The medics were on the other side of the pitch and Christian was lying prone on the sideline. It was at that point that I looked at the screen and I didn't get upset until I looked at Thomas Delaney's face.

"I have seen Thomas Delaney kick fellas out of stadiums.  He is an extremely good footballer, but he is one of the toughest men I know.  When he crosses that white line he is tough, but he was in pieces. He was distraught.

"These are tough men. Seeing them get upset made me upset."

The news from the ground is a remarkable reflection of Eriksen's character.

"Christian was conscious and communicative when they took him off the pitch, and then they took him to the hospital. The hospital is only around the corner, it is easier to walk there than it is to drive there.

"He apparently then FaceTimed the team. They said that he was more worried about them than they were about him.

"He was saying 'how are you guys doing? I'll be fine, I am in the hospital now.'"

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