Christian Eriksen has made his return to football, just eight months after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
The former Tottenham Hotspur player was substituted on for Brentford in the 52nd minute during their Premier League match against Newcastle, to a rapturous set of applause by fans and players of both teams.
It comes after the 29-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, which left him “gone”, Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said.
After being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device and passing all the required medical tests, he was deemed suitable to play by Brentford’s medical team.
Eriksen was signed by Brentford in January, after leaving Inter Milan by mutual consent.
This was due to him being suspended by the Italian medical authority from playing in Serie A, due to a rule prohibiting the use of an ICD device.
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Before heading to the Community Stadium, Eriksen had been training in Switzerland, as well as with his former side Ajax, preparing for a comeback.
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Brentford’s manager Thomas Frank said ahead of his debut: “Christian is in a good place. Now it is just that game rhythm which he needs to get into his body and to get that consistency in everything.
“We will need a few games to get him going under max, but I would not put him in there if I didn’t think he could provide something now.
“We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a world-class player to Brentford.”
England captain and former Spurs teammate Harry Kane told BT Sport earlier: “I’m delighted for Chris, hopefully he’s able to play some minutes and get back to Premier League football.”
World Cup hopes
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Speaking to Danish media earlier this month, Eriksen said: “My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar. I want to play. That’s been my mindset all along. It’s a goal, a dream.
“Physically, I’m back in top shape. I want to prove I’ve moved on and that I can play on the national team again.”
The World Cup is due to start in November, with temperatures expected to reach 30C throughout the tournament in Qatar.