Christian Eriksen had to be dragged off the training pitch as the Manchester United star made up for lost time in Qatar.
The silky playmaker has been putting in the hard yards as the Danes prepared to kick off their tournament with a man who has defied the odds to make it onto the biggest stage. The football world held its breath in June last year when the midfielder collapsed having suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship group game against Finland.
His concerned team-mates formed a human shield around him as he received life-saving treatment and he resumed his career, first at Brentford before moving to Old Trafford on a free transfer five months ago.
Although his manager Kasper Hjulmand used a clumsy metaphor to describe his importance, there was no doubting the sentiment behind it. He said: “Number one, it’s great to have him back. He was the heart and heartbeat of our team.
“He’s a fantastic player, but he’s an even better person - both on and off the pitch - he gives us so much. When he plays, he has a fantastic way of deciding the rhythm of the game, feeling the game and controlling it with his passing, his intelligence, his vision and work ethic.
“I remember the time when he came back in March. In his first few minutes on the pitch he scored against Holland in Amsterdam. And he just keeps training and playing football. In training yesterday, we decided not to do much. But we had to drag him off the pitch. The love of the game is the most important thing for him.”
Denmark skipper Simon Kjaer added: “After what happened, we’re thankful he’s here. But I think Christian’s qualities say everything about him. As a footballer, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of his quality, love for the game and just hanging around with the boys.
“He appreciates everything, probably more than we do. We love having him in our side, every minute he plays is only a big plus for Denmark.”
Even Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri was moved by Eriksen’s return. He said: “It goes without saying that the incident made the whole world sympathise with him and Denmark.
“As an athlete, it was important he got back on his feet to overcome what happened. We respect him both as a player and a person.”
The huge ex-pat population in Qatar will make this Group D clash almost a home game for Tunisia. Despite this, it was clear that Hjulmand is expecting plenty from a team England only narrowly defeated at the semi-final stage in the European Championships last year.
He said: “Our dream is to win something. And the players have the quality to win. Are we the favourites? No. I still think we have a gap to close. But we can beat everyone on the day. We have strong self-confidence.
“The key is dreaming big and then focusing on what’s in front of you. What’s in front of us is a difficult game against Tunisia. We believe we can express ourselves and we have a strong identity. We’re ready to attack.”
Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri began his address with a passionate ‘Thank you’ to the host nation, in an attempt to win favour with the locals, the vast majority of whom will be rooting for the Eagles of Carthage.
He said: “The state-of-the-art opening ceremony made all Arabs feel proud - thank you very much Qatar. We know we are going to be backed by the Tunisian community here. We know we are going to be backed by the Egyptian community. And others.
“We have been welcomed so warmly. It has been touching. We want to live up to your expectations. This is our sixth time at the World Cup. We deserve to be here and we want to show we deserve to be here.”
