CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN has said that his defibrillator implant is “just part of me now” as he admitted that he only remembers it is there during airport security checks.
Eriksen, 33, collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s opening game against Finland at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament in 2021.
The former Manchester United midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest and needed life-saving resuscitation on the pitch.
He was later fitted with a defibrillator implant (ICD) before returning to football with Brentford and then United in 2022.
Now Eriksen has signed for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, having been let go by Man Utd at the end of the season, and has opened up on how he rarely thinks about his heart condition these days.
Speaking at his official presentation for Wolfsburg on Friday, the Dane discussed how setting off alarms when going through airport security body scanners is his only reminder of the incident.
He said: “I only have to go past the scanner and undergo a separate check. That’s all. There are no restrictions. Nothing.
“I have never felt anything since then. It is just a part of me now – nothing strange or sad.”
Eriksen went on to explain that he won’t delve into the details of what happened until after his career is over.
He added: “[I’m happy to] be seen as a footballer again, and not as the guy who had this moment at Parken [Stadium].
“I will only talk in detail about it after my career – it is something very personal.”
Eriksen, who was approached to join Wrexham this summer, could make his debut for Wolfsburg this weekend in a league clash with Borussia Dortmund.
He leaves Man Utd having made over 100 appearances in which he helped the club win both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
And despite the turbulent few years at Old Trafford, Eriksen had nothing but positive things to say about his time in Manchester.
He said: “Personally, I had a great time being at United. When I came back to football with Brentford, getting the chance to play against United was a massive thing.
“I also think I proved myself as a footballer at United. I had a really great time, and my family loved it there, and I’m sure we still have a lot of friends from our time there.
“I had a good time at the club, but it was a strange time because there was a lot of stuff going on at United.
“The focus and the perception of the club from the outside world is a bit different sometimes to how it really is.
“There are some lovely people at the club who are really working hard and trying their best, but it does not always go your way.”
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