When Christian Eriksen walks out with the Denmark side in the World Cup opener against Tunisia on Tuesday, it will be another proud moment in his career.
But it is a moment he nearly didn't live to see.
The footballing world was stunned last summer when the forward suddenly collapsed during Denmark's Euro 2020 group game against Finland, with the star admitting in a later interview that he was "gone from this world" for several minutes.
It's been a long 18 months for the Manchester United star, who has defied the odds to return to the highest level of football with his country.
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Why did Christian Eriksen collapse?
Having been named in Denmark's squad for the delayed Euro 2020 finals last summer, Eriksen started for his country in their opening game against Finland on June 12. In the 42nd minute, as he was about to receive a throw-in, the Inter Milan star suddenly stumbled and collapsed on the pitch.
Teammates immediately appealed for medical assistance, with team doctors and paramedics rushing onto the field, where they carried out emergency CPR and defibrillation in front of a stunned crowd in Copenhagen. His visibly distressed teammates gathered around the medical team as they tended to Eriksen to shield him from spectators and TV cameras.
Eriksen was then taken off the pitch on a stretcher, while the match was suspended. Around an hour later, it was confirmed that he was awake and stable, with the match continuing later that evening and Eriksen being named man of the match, despite Finland winning the fixture 1-0.
The next day, Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed that the player had suffered a cardiac arrest, with Eriksen later posting a photo of himself on social media saying that he was "fine under the circumstances". It was announced that he would be fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) to counter "rhythm disturbances", and he underwent a successful operation less than a week after he collapsed.
He visited his Danish teammates ahead of their final group match against Russia, in which they won 4-1 and dedicated the victory to him, before returning home to his family. The Danes reached the semi-final of the competition, but lost out to England at Wembley.
What has happened to him since Euro 2020?
Following the incident, it looked unlikely that Eriksen would return to football. Despite players like Daley Blind also fitted with an ICD, it was announced in October 2021 that the Denmark star would not be allowed to play for Inter Milan with the implanted device, with the club terminating his contract two months later.
Determined to make a comeback, he began individual training at his former youth side Odense Boldklub, and in January 2022 was offered a shock return to the Premier League, as he signed a six-month contract with newly promoted Brentford. He made his first appearance since his cardiac arrest as he came off the bench against Newcastle on February 26, while the first goal of his comeback helped lead the Bees to a 4-1 victory over Chelsea, their first since 1939.
He was in prolific form for the rest of the season, with only Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard creating more chances between Eriksen's debut and the season's end.
The former Tottenham star capped his incredible comeback this summer, as he signed for Manchester United on a three-year deal, and quickly becoming one of the most dependable players in Erik Ten Hag's squad.
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