First, the important part – Christian Eriksen is alive.
We don’t know exactly what comes next for him, and those are thoughts that aren’t for now. But the Denmark soccer player who had the sports world holding its breath over the weekend survived, and was recuperating at a Copenhagen hospital on Monday as well wishes from around the world continued to pour in.It’s not everything. It doesn’t tell the full story. For now, it is enough.Whether you’re the kind of soccer fan who never misses a minute of the game – any game – or a casual follower who tunes in for the big matches and the major tournaments, or even if you have no time for the sport whatsoever, it is a near certainty the name of Eriksen reached your eyes and ears over the weekend.
It did so because of a terrifying collection of moments, beginning when he suddenly fell to the ground, suffering cardiac arrest during his team’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland.There is no guidebook for how a captain is supposed to act in such circumstances. And yet, somehow, as the possibility of tragedy unfolded on Saturday – with Eriksen clinically “lost” according to Danish medical personnel – Simon Kjaer produced the most perfect display of poise, humanity and leadership you could possibly imagine.
If you’ve seen the footage of Eriksen’s collapse, you’ll remember the teammate who ran directly towards him and fell to his knees to provide assistance. That was Kjaer, wearing the skipper’s armband, reacting instantly, freeing Eriksen’s tongue so he did not swallow it, and placing him in the recovery position until team doctors and stadium paramedics could reach the scene.
As distraught members of the Danish squad stood in shock, Kjaer collected them together with a purpose. Upon his instruction, they formed a human shield around Eriksen as the television cameras (controlled by a central feed from European soccer governing body UEFA) sought pictures that many felt were an inappropriate intrusion.
Joakim Maehle, Yussuf Poulsen, Simon Kjaer and Thomas Delaney of Denmark look dejected as teammate Christian Eriksen (hidden) receives medical treatment during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship.
The players faced outwards, tears and anguish etched upon their faces. Kjaer looked inward. Without wanting to read his mind it seemed that he was willing to shoulder the burden of seeing the worst outcome of all, should it pass, so that his teammates would not have to.
“I am incredibly proud to have him as captain,” Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told reporters, after the team later finished the match, losing 1-0. “It does not surprise me that Simon did as he did. He has an incredibly sensitive and human side to him.”
Kjaer wasn’t supposed to make it this far, to where he is captaining a team at the biggest international soccer tournament outside of the World Cup. Back in 2004, he was the last of 16 players given a place in the youth academy at Danish club FC Midtjylland, and only then, according to who you listen to, because they had a severe shortage of big defenders or because his father Jorgen was the club’s equipment manager.
“We took him in because we couldn’t get anyone better,” Rasmus Ankersen – who was then part of the Midtjylland staff and is now director of football at incoming English Premier League club Brentford – said in a recent motivational speech. “A few of our scouts had been following him for a while and their conclusion is crystal clear. He will never make it. Forget about him.”
At the time, according to Ankersen, the club’s coaches each put five names in a sealed envelope of those boys they thought would have the brightest future as professionals. Five years later, when Kjaer’s performances had earned him a move to Italian side Palermo, they opened it up.
Kjaer was on no one’s list. Ankersen’s top choice had left soccer and was running a pizza shop.
Since then, Kjaer has played in some of Europe’s biggest leagues – Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga, France’s Ligue 1 – until last year being signed by Italian giant AC Milan. One of his closest friends in Italy is Eriksen, who plays for city rival Inter Milan. AC Milan was so taken with Kjaer’s response to the Eriksen situation it is likely to make him captain next season.
Of course, Kjaer’s isn’t the only story of an athlete defying those who wrote them off and going on to taste success when a more likely outcome would have seen them on the sporting scrapheap.
Perhaps his experiences have taught him to take nothing for granted. Perhaps having to struggle for recognition has given him perspective. Perhaps he’s just a high-quality human being.
Either way, when the time came last weekend and strength, poise, calm and gentleness were needed, he had it. In short order, as time moved on, he headed to the other side of the field to console Sabrina Kvist Jensen, Eriksen’s partner and the mother of his children.
Finally, when it thankfully became clear Eriksen was stabilized enough to be moved, Kjaer directed the team to escort the stretcher all the way to the locker room.
That’s a leader. That’s a captain. That’s a man. That’s all.
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