Copenhagen (AFP)
The Danish Christian Eriksen, hospitalized after a cardiac arrest when he entered the competition for the Euro football on Saturday, will have a defibrillator implanted under the skin to regulate his heart rate, his federation announced Thursday a few hours from a tribute to the player during Denmark-Belgium.
The Danish federation gave no indication of the consequences for the rest of the career of the 29-year-old Inter Milan player, calling for him and his family to be "left in peace".
If this sounds like bad news, footballers like Dutchman Daley Blind have been able to resume their careers after being fitted with pacemakers.
On Saturday, towards the end of the first half of the Denmark-Finland meeting, Eriksen had collapsed suddenly on the pitch, his eyes rolled back.
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Saved after a cardiac massage and the use of a defibrillator, he had regained consciousness after long minutes of anguish for his relatives, his teammates and the 16,000 witnesses of this televised drama, before being hospitalized.
On Tuesday morning, the player posted a photo online of himself, his face tired but smiling, explaining that he was "okay under the circumstances".
But the Danish staff remained stingy with details of his state of health.
- Subcutaneous defibrillator -
"After the various examinations of the heart undergone by Christian, it was decided that he should wear a subcutaneous defibrillator", known by the acronym of DAI (automatic implantable defibrillator), finally announced Thursday the Danish federation in a press release. .
This device, an improved variant of a pacemaker, "is necessary after a heart attack due to disturbances in the rhythm" of the heart, specifies the DBU.
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The decision, taken by the cardiologist of the large Danish hospital where Eriksen is located since Saturday, "was accepted" by the midfielder and "confirmed by national and international specialists who recommend the same treatment," said the federation.
Like a conventional pacemaker, the device sends electrical impulses when the heart rate is too slow, in order to avoid discomfort.
In addition to this function, it can also deal with too fast pace.
The announcement of this medical intervention comes a few hours before the kick-off of the Denmark-Belgium match in Copenhagen (6 p.m.), during which a public tribute to the Danish number 10 is scheduled in the 10th minute.
The Inter Milan midfielder will be able to hear him: the Rigshospitalet where he has been for five days is barely a kilometer as the crow flies from "Parken", the Danish national stadium in Copenhagen.
A speaker that he can even see from his window, explained coach Kasper Hjulmand.
- Global emotion -
The German doctor who treated Eriksen on the lawn revealed in a media interview with the Funke group that Eriksen had regained consciousness after using an emergency defibrillator.
"Yes, I'm back with you," Eriksen replied, then: "Damn, I'm only 29".
At the height of the emotion aroused by his serious discomfort live Saturday at the end of the day, testimonies of support poured in from all over the world to the Danish star.
In Copenhagen, fans came to paint messages on the walls of one of the capital's "fanzones".
After the dramatic scenes that have traumatized the whole country and beyond, the second Euro meeting for the Danes will go far beyond the sports field, even if a defeat would seriously compromise their chances of qualification.
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"It will be very emotional to return to the Parken, we expect to have incredible support from our fans and from the whole country," said the Danish manager.
The Belgians intend to clear the ball in touch for the tribute, explained Romelu Lukaku, Eriksen's teammate at Inter and who has been in contact with him.
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