The national football teams of Denmark and Tunisia will meet in Qatar at 2 p.m. on November 22nd. The World Cup group game will be a special return to the big soccer stage, especially for soccer star Christian Eriksen (30). 17 months ago, the Danish star player suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2021. So he fought his way back to the top of the world.

Everything happened in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021: The Danes' first group game at the European Championship, which was postponed by a year due to Corona. In the 43rd minute, Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed. The medical team ran and saved the professional athlete's life with chest compressions and defibrillation. It took long minutes for Eriksen to be taken away and taken to a hospital, from which the father of two spoke to his teammates the same day.

The reason for Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest was congenital hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary thickening of the heart muscle. It quickly became clear that he would never be able to play football again without an implanted defibrillator. But the midfield director decided to take that step and underwent a successful operation.

But he was unable to continue his career at his club Inter Milan. The Italian health authorities banned him from participating in Serie A for safety reasons. Christian Eriksen temporarily kept fit at his youth club Odense BK in his home country: at the beginning of December 2021, a good six months after his cardiac arrest, he started team training there. In the middle of the month, his contract with Inter Milan was terminated.

In England, on the other hand, professionals with an implanted defibrillator are allowed to play. Christian Eriksen signed a contract with Brentford FC in January 2022. Not a top club, the team only got promoted to the Premier League for the 2021/22 season. After just six months, Eriksen left the club again. He was drawn to Manchester United for the new season. An absolute top club, although they haven't played for the championship for a few years. Eriksen is the undisputed regular player here.

As early as March 2022, national coach Kasper Hjulmand (50) nominated his star player for the national selection again. Apparently the right decision: In his comeback on March 26 against the Netherlands, Eriksen scored promptly after coming on. At the World Cup in Qatar, he leads his team onto the field as captain.