Christian Eriksen makes Denmark’s World Cup squad 17 months after he suffered a cardiac arrest

Christian Eriksen has been named to Denmark’s World Cup squad just over a year after suffering cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 clash with Finland.

Under FIFA regulations, national teams were required to submit a preliminary roster, with a maximum of 55 names, by October 21, before the 26-man final roster deadline on November 13, a week before the tournament kicks off.

Denmark has named a top 21 of the 26-man roster, and the Scandinavian country will announce the last five names this weekend after the final round of European competitions.

Christian Eriksen has been named to Denmark’s World Cup squad just over a year after suffering cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 clash with Finland

Danish coach Kasper Hjulmand has selected 21 of his last 26-man squad for the tournament

Eriksen went into cardiac arrest last summer during the postponed Euro 2020 final.

The Manchester United midfielder collapsed shortly before half-time during Denmark’s opening match with Finland in the tournament.

He received life-saving treatment on the field and in the aftermath was given an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – an ICD is a type of pacemaker.

Eriksen, who was playing for Inter Milan at the time of his collapse, has agreed to terminate his contract with the Serie A giants due to regulations prohibiting players with an ICD from playing in Serie A.

As a result, he joined Brentford in January on a six-month contract. The Dane was a revelation in West London as he helped lead the Bees to safety, delivering four assists and one goal in ten starts.

Eriksen received life-saving treatment on the pitch after a cardiac arrest against Finland – he was later fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device

Football united in support of Eriksen at the European Championship and it’s a remarkable story of recovery for the playmaker, who has excelled since returning to playing

In January, Eriksen had said it was ‘a goal, a dream’ to win another cap for Denmark for their home support and to play at the World Cup this winter.

He returned to the national team in March and scored immediately – two minutes after coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands in a romantic return for the Danish icon.

Eriksen moved to Old Trafford in the summer after his deal with Thomas Frank’s Bees expired and he became a key cog on Erik ten Hag’s side.

In total, the playmaker has scored 39 goals and added 26 assists in 117 caps for Denmark and is one of the best Danish players of all time.

Elsewhere in the top 21 selected by Danish manager Kasper Hjumland, Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was selected, while there was room for Brentford pair Mathias Jensen and Mikkel Damsgaard. The latter infamously scored a world-class free kick against England during the Euro 2020 semi-finals last summer.

Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of six Premier League players in the roster

Crystal Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen was also chosen, as was Leeds right-back Rasmus Kristensen.

Elsewhere, former Leicester City skipper Kasper Schmeichel, who now plays for Nice, was in attendance, while ex-Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen – who moved to Barcelona in the summer – was selected.

Commenting on the initial 21-man squad, Hjumland said: “A lot of things can happen.

“It’s unsolvable, but it’s the right way to do it – there are still two games left for many of our players, and that could easily change things.

“There are still ten or twelve players in the race for the last five places.”

Denmark is in Group D with France, Australia and Tunisia in the tournament and will begin their World Cup campaign against the North African country on November 22.