Christian Eriksen moved to Wolfsburg after the September transfer window. He has played 15 competitive games there so far, eleven of which were in the starting line-up. He scored his first goal in the 2-1 win on Wednesday evening in the Bundesliga duel against FC St. Pauli (handball penalty), and he has also prepared three goals so far.
He attracted worldwide attention on June 12, 2021, when he suddenly collapsed on the pitch in Copenhagen with a cardiac arrest in the 43rd minute of his Danes’ European Championship game against Finland and had to be resuscitated. He was taken to a hospital where a defibrillator was inserted in case his heart stopped again. The cause was determined to be a hereditary thickening of the heart muscle.
Eriksen later said he was “dead for five minutes.” During the revival, his teammates formed a protective circle around their captain, praying and crying. The game continued, Finland won 1-0.
Ask: Mr. Eriksen, you only came to Wolfsburg after the transfer period as a player without a contract, where things went from bad to worse and a serious crisis broke out. How difficult was your start in Germany?
Christian Eriksen: I was warmly and well received at the club, but you’re right: the start was tough. The results weren’t there and the pressure on all of us increased. It was a phase in which I and we all learned a lot.
Ask: At the start of the year there was a heavy 8-1 defeat at FC Bayern. What makes you optimistic that the second half of the season will go better?
Eriksen: The second half in Munich is not the way we want to perform. We have to change that in the next games. Compared to the start of the season, we had more momentum in the games before the break. The self-confidence grew again. But one thing is clear: we still need a lot of points – especially given where we are now.
Ask: Paul Simonis was fired as coach on November 9th last year. After so many years in football, do you still feel sympathy?
Eriksen: Yes, of course. He wanted me to come to Wolfsburg. Then I’m sorry he has to go. But I know what you mean: football is very fast-paced. Coaches and players come and go. I experienced this very early in my career. When I was a young player at Ajax, my first professional coach left after a few months.
Ask: Are you satisfied with your own performance?
Eriksen: Things got better and better, I feel more confident and got to know the team and the routes of my teammates better. But I want to score and prepare more goals.
Ask: They had to wait a long time for a new club in the summer. How difficult was it not having a contract?
Eriksen: It was a great vacation.
Ask: You smile a little.
Eriksen: It was actually nice for my family and me as a father. But of course: at the end of the transfer period I was already waiting to see what was coming. You ask yourself: what will happen? VfL Wolfsburg gave me the chance. And so far it has been the right decision.
Ask: Do you have the feeling that some clubs didn’t want to take you because of your past?
Eriksen: No!
Ask: Why was it Wolfsburg?
Eriksen: I had positive conversations with those responsible and could well imagine playing in Wolfsburg. I was also interested in getting to know a new league again.
Ask: Did the change come about because manager Peter Christiansen is also Danish?
Eriksen: No, but the conversations were easier. (laughs) I only knew him from the Danish press before. We spoke here for the first time.
Ask: Did the World Cup play a role in the change?
Eriksen: That was definitely a reason too. I want to go to the World Cup. We still have to qualify against North Macedonia. It will be tough games, but I’m optimistic. I like decisive games like this – when you win them. (laughs) But I have to be honest: When I was without a club in the summer, I had the feeling that my World Cup chances were getting smaller and smaller.
Ask: In September you were not selected for the national team for the first time…
Eriksen: I feel like part of the national team. You always want to be there. But the coach made the decision to nominate players who play in their clubs or even have one. I had to respect that. But it was very hard to watch.
Ask: Is there a big discussion in Denmark about whether you should play the World Cup?
Eriksen: You’ll have to ask in Denmark. (laughs) Seriously, I think there’s something good about it too. Because the focus is on me as a football player. If I want to be the center of attention, it’s because of goals and assists. All I can say is: I feel ready and can help the team a lot.
Ask: Which Danish players did you talk to before moving to Wolfsburg?
Eriksen: With Simon Kjær and Thomas Kahlenberg. You told me good things. These insights helped.
Ask: You haven’t spoken to Nicklas Bendtner?
Eriksen: No. But I know that I will never drive a Mercedes in Wolfsburg. (Editor’s note: Bendtner posed provocatively with a Mercedes in VW City in 2016 and thereby caused a scandal)
Ask: You had a cardiac arrest on the pitch at the 2021 European Championships. Do you see it as a great gift that you are playing football today?
Eriksen: Yes, I am very happy that I am able to play football. I was like that before what happened at Parken Stadium. But even more so after that. After that day, I always had the goal of coming back, being a football player again. This is my identity.
Ask: What has changed since that day?
Eriksen: As a footballer nothing has changed, as a person almost everything has changed. I look at my life differently, pay attention to how I spend my day, how I treat my family, how I meet other people. I mean, I wasn’t a bad family man before that. But I’m even more focused on whether the family and I are happy. It helped me see life more positively.
Ask: Have you watched the scenes from the stadium since then?
Eriksen: And.
Ask: Does it feel like it’s someone else there?
Eriksen: No, I know that’s me. I’m very aware of all of this. It’s a part of me. I don’t look for the images, but I don’t escape them. I have no problem talking about it, but I think it’s slowly coming to an end. I’m just a footballer now.
Ask: And yet many people around the world feel a connection to you because they have seen the scenes and not because they have a specific goal in mind.
Eriksen: Yes, that was strange for me. Afterwards, people spoke to me on the street and said that because of me they had changed something in their lives or in their dealings with their families. A lot of people had something in common with me in some way. That is nice. It was a violent thing. But during this time I also learned about other people’s hard blows. I am on the happy side of life.
Ask: What do you have to pay attention to when it comes to health?
Eriksen: It’s all good. I have regular checkups and contact with my doctor if anything should happen. But at the moment the focus is completely on football.
Ask: In Italy, players like you who have used a defibrillator are not allowed to play. Is that fair?
Eriksen: No it’s not. I think in Italy there is an outdated view on this matter. Nowadays the technology has actually come a long way with all the check-ups and aftercare. I know the rules of the doctors in Italy, but compared to the rest of Europe they are very strict.
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Ask: Do sporting issues such as relegation battles matter to you at all when you have experienced how quickly life can be over?
Eriksen: No, I wouldn’t say that. I really wanted to play again. So football is a very important topic for me. I always want to win. Nothing has changed about that. Football is important to me, it’s fun. But my family is above it.
Ask: You have played for top clubs in England and Italy. How do you like the Bundesliga?
Eriksen: It’s an exciting league, for players and for fans. Anything can happen in the Bundesliga. A team can lead 3-0 shortly before the end and still lose 3-4. There are often a lot of chances to score. The pace is high. I enjoy it. I like it when things go back and forth quickly.
Ask: Kasper Hjulmand was your national coach. How do you see his work in Leverkusen?
Eriksen: Of course I look at his work. In the end, it wasn’t an easy time for him with the national team. It’s all the better for him that he can now show again that he is a great coach.
Ask: You are a global star, but you seem very reserved. Don’t you like being the center of attention?
Eriksen: I want to be the focus of attention on the pitch. In my private life, I tend to be quiet and spend time with my family.
Ask: How is it in the cabin?
Eriksen: I don’t entertain the whole group. I do what everyone else does. (laughs)
Ask: Can you help young players with your experience?
Eriksen: I’ll try it. I also used to look up to older players, especially Jan Vertonghen. Anyone can always ask me anything, but I think it’s more important that young people observe and learn something.
Ask: They say you love playing with Lego…
Eriksen: Naturally! I am Danish. It’s mandatory to love Lego. This is really a big thing for us. I like my assembled Porsche. But otherwise my children and I are always inventing new things with the stones. Whenever they play with it, I’m immediately there.
Ask: You have been in football for a very long time – what development do you find strange?
Eriksen: Social media. When I was a young player we were more protected. Today you are the worst player in the world after a bad performance. After a good game you are the superstar. There is nothing in between. It’s all about headlines, no longer about the people.
Ask: And there are more and more games…
Eriksen: What should I say to that as a footballer? You are part of and follow the program. But the danger is that if there are too many games, the flow of the game falls by the wayside. The games lose intensity. It is clear that players are injured more often. I think we have enough games now.
The interview was conducted for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, „Bild“, “Sport Image”) created and first published in “Bild”.
