Football news - Martin Braithwaite thought Chrsitian Eriksen 'was gone' after on-pitch heart attack at Euro 2020
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Published 02/08/2021 at 12:27 GMT
Denmark's opening Euro 2020 game was almost struck by tragedy when Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a heart attack on the pitch. Fortunately he was revived by paramedics, and the incident is discussed in a new documentary about fellow Dane, and Barcelona striker, Martin Braithwaite.
Denmark's players after Eriksen collapsed
Image credit: Getty Images
Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite has said he thought that Danish teammate Christian Eriksen "was gone" when he had a heart attack.
The 29-year-old midfielder collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s first Euro 2020 group game against Finland.
The Inter Milan player needed swift medical attention and had to be revived by paramedics, and Danish players surrounded Eriksen to shield him from the attention of spectators and television companies.
Braithwaite is the subject of a four-part documentary and as part of the programme he has discussed the dramatic episode.
He said: “What was meant to be the biggest sports event in Danish history turned out just to be a nightmare. What happened that night shocked a lot of people.”
Braithwaite admitted that when he saw Eriksen he believed he was dead, saying: “There was one moment I looked at (Eriksen) and he was gone.
"When you look at a body where the person is dead, you have no doubt. You know right away. That is what I saw.
"We had all the doctors working on him and that image is something that I don’t wish for anyone to see.”
Braithwaite, who has been linked with a move away from his current side this transfer window, added: “It all finished with a good ending, Christian is good and stable. That’s the only thing that we could wish for.”
Eriksen has undergone an operation to be fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator but it is not clear when or if he will be able to return to competitive football, and he will be out for at least six months.
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