Christian Eriksen: Denmark international on returning to Premier League with Brentford

Christian Eriksen says it feels like a miracle to be able to resume his career with Brentford and that he is lucky to be here after collapsing while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 last summer.

He has joined the Bees on a six-month deal after his release by Inter Milan.

"The first thing is to show the gratitude," Eriksen told BBC Sport.

"To the people around me, the team-mates, the doctors first on the pitch, the team doctors and paramedics and then at the hospital, to do everything and check everything.

"Then all the messages from people to show support for me and what my family have been through. It has been really lovely to see all the grateful messages.

"I am very lucky and I have told them face to face, I am very happy they did what they did otherwise I would not be here."

He added: "For me it was unlucky in a lucky place. I wouldn't hope anyone to get it, I never thought I would get it myself when it happened but in the place it happened I was lucky with the people around me acting so quickly. I was really grateful the doctors were in that place.

"It was lucky I had all the possibilities around me. They had all the possibilities to get me back as quickly as they did and I am 100% grateful for that."

• Eriksen can be Brentford's greatest ever signing'
• Eriksen targets 2022 World Cup call-up
• What can sport learn from Eriksen's cardiac arrest?

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Eriksen says he feels in better condition now than before the incident, will do everything he can to reach his former playing level and does not fear the challenges ahead.

"I won't change my style of play," added Eriksen. "I have had the time to be disciplined for the last six months to do extras, so even now maybe I am in a better condition than before, just the football missing.

"I feel like me so don't see a reason why I can't get back to the same level."

'I was gone from this world for five minutes'

The day of 12 June 2021 will be a date etched in Eriksen's memory, one when he remembers all but the five minutes in which he was "gone from this world until they got my heartbeat back".

Denmark were playing Finland in their opening game of the Euros, delayed by a year because of Covid, when the midfielder collapsed on the pitch in the 41st minute.

He received CPR and after 15 minutes of treatment was carried off on a stretcher. Eriksen was awake in hospital and, after a delay of around three hours, the match resumed with Finland winning 1-0.

"I can remember everything apart from the five minutes," he explained. "I was told afterwards it was five minutes, otherwise I remember everything - the throw in, the ball hitting my knee and then I don't know what happened after.

"Then I woke up with people around me and felt the pressure on my chest, trying to get my breathing back, and then I woke up - I opened my eyes and saw people around me, I didn't really understand what was going on.

"At that time I had no idea what had happened, then it goes through my head: 'Did something happen with my legs? Did I break my back? Can I lift my leg up?' - all small things I was trying to do to see what happened.

"Then in the ambulance I heard someone say 'how long was he out for' and someone said 'five minutes' and that was the first time I had heard I was gone."

Asked if it will feel like a miracle to return, Eriksen added: "Definitely. I think it will get more and more obvious the closer it gets to being in a game - being in a stadium, being in a game, you get all the emotion and adrenaline from that."

'If anything happens I am safe'

Christian Eriksen and Antonio Conte won the Serie A title together at Inter Milan in 2020-21

Eriksen's Inter Milan contract was cancelled by mutual consent in December because players fitted with an ICD cannot compete in Serie A.

However, the Premier League does not have the same regulations.

After leaving Inter, Eriksen started training alone at Danish side Odense Boldklub - where he was previously a youth player - and outlined his aspiration to resume his playing career in order to play for Denmark at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank says the Dane could be the club's "greatest signing ever" and his arrival saw the biggest day of kit sales outside kit-launch days - 30 times the usual demand at this time of year for the Bees.

Eriksen says he did not think about returning to football in the few days that followed the incident but has never feared his career would be over.

"I wanted to get all the tests done and get to talk with all the doctors to see what is a possibility and what is not," he said.

"But then ever since, I think less than a week after, they said 'you have an ICD but otherwise nothing has changed, you can continue like a normal life and there is no limit to what you want to do'.

"It was a relief, that is true, but also weird because I wouldn't want to overdo it, I wouldn't want to take any chances with it, so that's why I am doing many tests to make sure that it is OK.

"It is not going to affect me in 30 years what I am doing now and that was the main aim, otherwise if they tell me something has changed then I will be on another page.

"I don't see any risk, no. I have an ICD, if anything would happen then I am safe."

• Our coverage of Brentford is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• Everything Brentford - go straight to all the best content