Christian Eriksen to Captain Denmark in Return to Site of His Cardiac Arrest

Eriksen and Denmark will host Serbia in Copenhagen, where the midfield star suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during the Euros.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Christian Eriksen will captain Denmark in a friendly match against Serbia on Tuesday when he plays at Parken Stadium for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest there during the European Championship.

Kasper Schmeichel, who has been the stand-in captain in the absence of the injured Simon Kjær, made the suggestion to hand the armband to Eriksen, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said Monday.

It is set to be an emotional occasion for Eriksen, who collapsed on the field at the stadium in Copenhagen during the June 12 match against Finland and was later told he was “gone from this world for five minutes.”

Eriksen has resumed his professional playing career at Brentford in the Premier League after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and scored on his comeback for Denmark on Saturday after entering as a halftime substitute against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

“It will definitely be very special because I have not been to Parken since it happened,” Eriksen said Monday. “Now I am incredibly looking forward to being back on the field here in the Park and being a football player.

“Because that’s what it’s about for me. But I also look forward to the fact that after the match we can put it behind us.”