Christian Eriksen

At 32 years old, Christian Eriksen has this physical status:

Christian Dannemann Eriksen (born 14 February 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and the Danish national team as an attacking midfielder.

Eriksen made his Danish National Team debut in March 2010 and was the youngest player of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa (Marco van Basten Award), and was the youngest player of the year (Becaix Talent of the Year) and was the youngest player of the tournament's UEFA Euro U-21 team.

He played for Ajax in 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2012–13, then joined Tottenham Hotspur in August 2013 for a reported fee of around £11.5 million.

For the 2013–14 and 2016–17 seasons, he received the Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year award twice.

He received his fifth Danish Football Player of the Year award in 2018.

Personal life

Eriksen and his partner, Sabrina Kvist Jensen, live in Durham, United States. They have two children, a son, and a daughter. Louise Eriksen, his younger sister, also plays football and is the captain of KoldingQ in the Elitedivisionen.

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Club career

Eriksen, who was born in Middelfart, Denmark, followed in the footsteps of his father Thomas as he began playing football in Middelfart G&BK's academy. Eriksen's father was also one of the instructors at the time, and in 2004, they helped the youth team finish undefeated in the local youth championship for the third time in a span of four years. He joined Odense Boldklub in the Danish youth championships the following year, and the club gained a year ago, winning the age group championship. Eriksen first demonstrated signs of his technical skill at OB, with his dribbling and free-kick techniques lauded by then-coach Tonny Hermansen. His form at the youth level attracted the attention of a number of major European clubs, including Chelsea and Barcelona. Eriksen went through trials with both clubs, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Milan, but then decided to move to Ajax, saying, "My first step should not be too large." I knew that being in the Netherlands would be very helpful to my growth. Then Ajax arrived, and it was a fantastic choice."

Eriksen signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Ajax, a Dutch-based club. The transfer fee collected by OB was estimated at €1 million (£847,199), but Middelfart received a €355,000 to build a football pitch later. He made his way through Ajax's youth team before being promoted to the first team squad in January 2010, where he was rewarded with the number 51 shirt. He made his first team debut with NAC Breda later this month. In a 6–0 victory over Go Ahead Eagles in the Dutch Cup on March 25, he scored his first goal for Ajax and extended his deal with the club the following month. Ajax defeated Feyenoord 4–1, winning 6–1 on aggregate, in his second match of the 2009-10 Dutch Cup. Eriksen had played 21 competitive games, scoring one goal, and was making his international debut for Denmark at the end of his first professional season with the club. Eriksen's consistency throughout the campaign earned him lauds from manager Martin Jol, who compared him to former youth products Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart, as well as Danish legend Michael Laudrup for his reading of the game in the traditional number 10 role.

Eriksen wore the number eight jersey ahead of the 2011-2011 season and he did a good job in defeating De Graafschap on August 29, 2010. In a 3–0 UEFA Europa League victory over Anderlecht, he scored his first home goal at the Amsterdam Arena in a 3–0 victory over BV Veendam and his first European goal. Eriksen was also named Danish Talent of the Year in between the year's high hopes. His increasing fame as the team's playmaker, made him an undisputed starter on the team, and he helped Ajax win their first Economy title in seven years. He was named Ajax's Talent of the Year at the end of the season. He also received the Dutch Football Talent of the Year award, which made him the second Danish player to win the award since Jon Dahl Tomasson in 1996. Eriksen was described as a typical Danish school product by Johan Cruyff, whose jury selected him for the award, and he added to recent comparisons between him and Brian and Michael Laudrup."

When Ajax defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 in the group stage on October 18, Eriksen scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League on October 18th. As Ajax defeated opponent Gregory van der Wiel and Siem de Jong in the return fixture the following month, he provided assistance to teammates Gregory van der Wiel and Siem de Jong. He was named Danish Football Player of the Year in honor of his contribution to Ajax's league championship run in the season, as well as Denmark's triumphant UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign. Eriksen continued to impress for Ajax, contributing both in terms of goal and assist return, winning the club their second straight league title.

Eriksen and Ajax repeated the feat in the 2012–13 season, when he refused to renew his deal with the club. Eriksen was allowed to look for a new club after only one year on his new deal, and he reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur in England. Eriksen left Ajax having appeared in 162 games in all divisions and scored 32 goals. In addition to his league success, he was also active in three consecutive editions of the Johan Cruyf Shield, which Ajax also won once.

Tottenham Hotspur, a Premier League club, reported on August 30 that they had concluded the transfer of Eriksen from Ajax to Ajax in a contract that was expected to be worth £11 million (€12.45 million). Eriksen joined the club on the same day as Richard Lamela, who came from Roma, and Vlad Chiricheș, who joined Steaua București and increased the club's total budget for the 2013 summer transfer window from £109.5 million. In a 2–0 victory, he made his league debut against Norwich City on September 14th and served as an assist for Gylfi Sigursson. Spurs boss André Villas-Boas commented on the match, "It was a great debut for Christian, he is a pure number 10, a brilliant performer, and his individual quality made all the difference."

Eriksen "clipped a spectacular dipping shot" over the goalkeeper to score his first Tottenham goal and complete a 3–0 victory over Troms, Illinois in the Europa League five days later. With a goal from a free kick in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day 2013, he added to Spurs' 1–2 home victory over Manchester United on January 1, 2014. Eriksen scored twice to level the score and then assisted Sigursson to score the winning goal on March 23rd, two goals down against Southampton at White Hart Lane. He continued his goalscoring form on Sunday, scoring a stoppage-time equalizer to help Tottenham go from 3–0 down to a draw 3-3 at West Brom. He had scored ten goals and 13 assists in all competitions, received the Danish Football Player of the Year award, and was named Tottenham's Player of the Season by the end of the season.

Tottenham hired Mauricio Pochettino as the new club manager ahead of the 2014-15 season, following Villas-Boas and interim-manager Tim Sherwood's tumultuous period. Eriksen scored late winners against Aston Villa, Hull City, and Swansea City, who praised the Argentine boss for improving the team's fitness levels between November and December 2014. Eriksen had scored 12 goals from open play by the end of the calendar year, more than any other player in England, and shortly after receiving his second consecutive Danish Footballer of the Year award. Eriksen scored twice in a 2–2 (3–2 aggregate) victory over Sheffield United on January 28, 2015, sending Tottenham to the League Cup Final for the first time. Former professionals Michael Owen and Gary Neville lauded his first effort, a 30-yard curling free kick. Tottenham's final, fought against Chelsea in London, ended in a 2–0 loss for Tottenham. Eriksen ended his 2014–15 season by appearing in every Premier League game for Mauricio Pochettino, starting all but one game and scoring 12 goals in all competitions.

Eriksen told Danish media, "I feel right at home at Tottenham," despite rumors that he will join Manchester United, although he will not be back in Manchester for the long run, "I haven't considered leaving yet." In a 2–2 draw with Swansea, he did not remain with the club and scored his first goals of the season in October, netting from two free-kicks. Eriksen was named Danish Footballer of the Year in January 2016. In doing so, he became the first person to win the award in three years. Tottenham ended the season in third place and qualified for the following season's Champions League appearances. He scored 6 goals and 13 assists.

Eriksen signed a new long-term deal with Tottenham and played for the club once more, scoring eight goals and assisting another 15 as the club finished the league season as runners-up to champions Chelsea. Eriksen's total number of assists was only surpassed by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, who had set up 18 goals for the season. Eriksen also earned the Footballer of the Season award twice in his debut season with the club, earning the trophy for the second time.

Eriksen scored his 33rd goal in a 3–2 victory over West Ham United on September 23, 2017, beating the record held by Nicklas Bendtner. He made his 200th appearance for Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and set the tone by scoring in a 5–1 league victory over Stoke City. He scored in the 2–0 league victory over Manchester United in his 50th goal for the club in just 11 seconds. Eriksen's goal was the third-fastest goal in the Premier League, only beating Alan Shearer and former Spurs captain Ledley King. Spurs defeated Swansea City twice in an FA Cup match on March 17th, advancing to the semi-finals for the second season. Eriksen scored a 25-yard goal in the away match against Chelsea on Monday, assisting Tottenham in their first victory in 28 years in a match that finished 3–1. Tottenham won by 2–1 after Eriksen scored twice in the reverse fixture against Stoke on Monday. Harry Kane, a teammate who was competing for the season's Golden Boot award, claimed to have made the final touch on the ball for the second goal. Tottenham appealed to the Premier League panel, who determined that the ball touched Kane's shoulder and awarded him the goal. Eriksen was selected in the PFA Team of the Year for the first time on April 14th, alongside colleagues Kane and Jan Vertonghen.

Eriksen scored his first goal of the season in a Champions League away match against Inter Milan in the 2018-19 season. Tottenham lost 21-0 on the home game against Inter, but Eriksen scored again in the game's only goal, giving Tottenham a 1–0 win. In the home match against Burnley on December 15, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season, earning Tottenham a 1–0 victory. David Beckham's second appearance in four consecutive Premier League seasons after losing 2–1 to Liverpool on 31 March. He became only the second player after him. In a 2–0 victory over Crystal Palace, he assisted Son Heung-min for his first ever goal at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before scoring a goal of his own. In a 1–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, he scored the winning goal. Eriksen appeared in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final, losing by a 2–0 loss to Tottenham against Liverpool later today.

Eriksen signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Milan on January 28, 2020, bringing his Tottenham hotspur contract to an end in six months. In a 2–1 home win over Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, he made his club debut the following day, arriving as a second-half replacement for Alexis Sánchez. Eriksen scored his first goal for the club on February 20th, netting the opener in a 2–0 away victory over Ludogorets Razgrad in the Europa League. In a 6–0 victory over Brescia on July 1, he scored his first Serie A goal. Eriksen was part of Inter's 2–3 loss to Sevilla in the 2020 Europa League Final on August 21, becoming the first player to lose two straight finals in the two current major UEFA tournaments; he had lost the 2019 Champions League Finals with Tottenham the previous year.

Giuseppe Marotta reported that Eriksen had been added to the transfer list for 2021, but that his coworker Romelu Lukaku had previously stated that Eriksen's problems at the Italian club were due to the language barrier. Eriksen was subbed on with the score at 1–1. In the last minutes of Inter's Coppa Italia quarter-final match against rivals Milan on January 26, 2021, he was subbed on by 1–1. He scored his first goal of the season in the seventh minute of stoppage time and with the game seemingly going extra time, he scored his first goal of the season. Interne's wins the match and sent them through to the semi-finals. Despite being linked with a winter departure, Inter manager Antonio Conte said Eriksen would remain with the club after the match. He scored Inter's first goal in a crucial 2–0 away victory over Crotone on May 1st, bringing the team closer to their first league title since 2009–10. Inter was announced as the league champions the following day after Atalanta's nearest challengers lost their match against Sassuolo. It brought an end to Juventus' nine-year bid for the Serie A crown.

Eriksen was unable to participate in Serie A due to the presence of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator he had implanted after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game at Euro 2020, which was announced on October 29th. Eriksen began individual training at the youth academy team OB in Odense, preparing for a return to football less than a year after his cardiac arrest. Inter announced on December 17th, 2021, that they had terminated their employment with Eriksen.

Eriksen joined Brentford in Premier League on a six-month deal on January 31, 2022. Mathias Jensen, who came on in Eriksen's place after a cardiac arrest, was replaced on Friday, February 26th, 2022, his first appearance was as a replacement in a 2–0 loss to Newcastle United. In a 2–0 victory over Burnley on March 12, he registered his first assist since his cardiac arrest in a 2–0 win. In a 4–1 away victory over Chelsea on Tuesday, he scored his first goal in the Premier League since 1939, assisting the Bees in their first victory over Chelsea since 1939. Only Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Bruyne provided more chances in the Premier League between Eriksen's debut and the end of the season.

Manchester United reported on July 15th, 2022, that they had signed Eriksen on a three-year contract. It was announced on July 28, 2022, that the number 14 shirt would be worn. Eriksen made his club debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on August 7th. In a 3–1 home league win over Arsenal, Marcus Rashford scored his first assist for the club, assisting in the second goal.

International career

Eriksen was called up to the Denmark national under-17 football team in July 2007, and he impressed on his debut for the team on July 31. He scored eight goals in 16 games for the U-17s in 2008, and was named Danish U-17 Talent of the Year by the Danish FA in 2008. He was also one of four finalists for the 2008 Danish Talent of the Year Award, which was also coveted by Mathias Jrgensen. He appeared in 27 games for the under-17 team before 2009, including 27 games for the under-17 team. During 2009, he played eight games for the Denmark U-18 and Denmark U-19 teams. Eriksen was also called up to the Danish U-21 squad in Denmark in 2011, but the Danish team only participated in the group stage, and Eriksen scored a goal against Belarus.

Eriksen got his first call up from Denmark in February 2010, making his debut in the country's friendly match against Austria in March, becoming Denmark's fourth youngest full international since Michael Laudrup.

Eriksen will be part of the final squad of 23 teams competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, according to Denmark coach Morten Olsen on May 28th. He was the youngest player to play in the tournament. Eriksen appeared in two matches against the Netherlands and Japan at the World Cup, but Denmark was unable to progress beyond the group stage.

Eriksen was named man of the match by a number of influential footballers, including Chelsea star Frank Lampard, Man Utd manager Rio Ferdinand (on Twitter), and a variety of Danish and English media analysts. Eriksen scored his first national team goal on June 4th, giving Denmark a 2–0 advantage over Iceland in their Euro 2012 qualifier. He became the youngest Danish player to score a goal in European qualification, being nine days younger than Michael Laudrup when he scored his first goal in 1983.

Denmark was drawn in UEFA Group E alongside Poland and Romania in the build-up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Eriksen played a key role in the country's qualification campaign, during which he scored eight goals to earn Denmark a play-off against the Republic of Ireland. In Dublin's Aviva Stadium, the first leg of the play-off ended in a 0–0 home draw before Eriksen netted a hat-trick, earning Denmark a World Cup spot. Eriksen's record increased his qualification record to 11 goals, led by Poland's Robert Lewandowski (16) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (15) in Europe, who also praised national team manager GE Hareide, who said that Eriksen was one of the top 10 players in the world, taking his total number to 11 goals.

Eriksen assisted Yussuf Poulsen for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Peru before scoring his first goal for the tournament in a 1–1 draw with Australia the following week. After being drawn with Croatia in the Round of 16, Denmark eventually recovered from their group. They were defeated after a penalty shoot-out, with Eriksen being one of three players to have his spot-kick saved by Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subajski.

Eriksen scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Wales on 9 September 9, 2018, leading Denmark to victory in the country's inaugural 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B match. Eriksen played his 100th match for Denmark, scoring a penalty in a 1–0 away victory over England in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

Eriksen was selected in Denmark's squad for UEFA Euro 2020 on May 25th 2021. Eriksen collapsed in the 42nd minute when playing in Denmark's opening group stage match against Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12th, just as he was supposed to receive a throw-in. Urgent medical assistance arrived immediately, as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation were applied on the field, well before Eriksen was taken off the field on a stretcher and the match was called off. Eriksen had been stabilized and alert around an hour after the incident, and the Danish Football Association (DBU) officials reported from the Rigshospitalet Hospital that he was upbeat and alert. The match continued later that evening, resulting in a 1–0 win for Finland, with Eriksen named by UEFA as the man of the match. Kasper Hjulmand and team doctor Morten Boesen both expressed disappointment at the match's continuation later in life, but Eriksen's teammate Martin Braithwaite said that the decision to do so was the "least bad one." Peter Schmeichel, the father of Denmark's keeper Kasper, said that UEFA had threatened the team with a 3–0 loss if they didn't finish the match later that day or the next day at noon, leaving the players with "no choice" but to move forward.

Eriksen had suffered a cardiac arrest the next day, according to Boesen. The incident itself drew comparisons to Fabrice Muamba and Abdelhak Nouri, two professional footballers who died as a result of playing in similar conditions and were forced to leave, with Nouri suffering permanent brain injury. Eriksen posted a snapshot of himself in the hospital on his social media on June 15th alongside a brief statement announcing that he was "fine under the circumstances." Following his cardiac arrest, Boesen revealed that he would be fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator unit. Eriksen had undergone a fruitful operation and was discharged from Rigshospitalet on June 18, the DBU. Helsing, Denmark, after his release, he visited his Danish colleagues before returning home to his family. The Danish team won by 4–1 over Russia in their last group match to Eriksen; the Danish team advanced to the round of 16. The team progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament, where they were disqualified following a 2–1 loss to England at Wembley Stadium on July 7.

Eriksen returned to international football in 2022, scoring 2 minutes after his return from halftime in a 4–2 loss to the Netherlands.

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