Christian Eriksen will complete his remarkable comeback in the World Cup - and insisted it will be a dream come true.
Denmark midfielder Eriksen, 30, collapsed on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Euros last year. But just 18 months later, Eriksen will now spearhead Denmark’s World Cup campaign in one of football’s best ever fairytale returns.
Manchester United star Eriksen, who will line up for Denmark in their Group opener with Tunisia on Tuesday, said: “It's special, my only aim was to come back and be fit enough to play. It's been a long journey, it's very special to be at a World Cup and I'm really happy to be part of it again.
“I think one of the first conversations I had with the doctor in Amsterdam, who participated in all the testing, was about it being my goal to play in the World Cup if everything went well. That was the dream at the time.
“I think the World Cup is separate, the reason for being alive was my family and everything else was moved to the side. Football has been my life. The focus was going back to what I was before, was the aim - that was the second aim. But my first aim was to be a husband again, well not a husband, a boyfriend.”
Denmark assistant boss Morten Wieghorst even claimed that Eriksen has come back as a better player than before he had his near death experience.
Wieghorst said: “He is a quality player and in my view he has returned even better than before the accident and it is great to see. He brings vision, technical quality, and goals to our team, he is pivotal to our team, a fantastic player.
“A lot of people said ‘why does he want to go back after what happened’ but he wanted to go back to what he loves doing. When you go through that barrier, it is one of the reasons why he can raise that level and be even stronger.”
Meanwhile, Eriksen says Denmark - led by captain Simon Kjaer - will defy FIFA’s wishes by wearing the One Love armband - no matter the consequences.
Eriksen added: “We are here as footballers, to play football, that is our focus but we also want to stand up for what we believe in. We will carry on wearing it and then face whatever the consequences are.”
