There are moments so remarkable and unexpected that we remember every detail. For football lovers, Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest was one of those moments. Denmark’s number 10 fell lifeless in the 43rd minute of the Denmark-Finland match, in the first round of the group stage of Euro 2020. The image was not forgotten by anyone, neither in Portugal nor, mainly, in Denmark.

This Sunday, three years and three days after the moment the Euro Cup stopped, the Observer spoke to all the Danish fans who met with Eriksen’s shirt. And everyone knows where they were, who they were with, what they felt, what they said and what they didn’t say.

Maja. “We were all connected to each other. “We needed to let off steam”

Maja walked hand in hand with her son, who was barely seven years old. Nowadays, Michael already understands what he is going for, but in the last Euro Cup, just four years old, he did not understand the game very well, much less what happened on June 12, 2021. “We were all very scared. “My son was four years old and we had to explain to him what had happened and why Christian was on the ground.”

It’s not something easy to explain, much less to a four-year-old child. But Maja did the best she could: “We told her that she had had a problem, that she had gone to the hospital, but that she was fine.” A basic explanation suitable for a child. But the question is: and how do you face this as an adult and already having so many fears? Talk.

“We were all connected to each other. We all wondered if it was going to be okay, we needed to vent, we were very scared. YO? “I called my mom.”

Casper. “He was in Iraq watching the game with other soldiers. Nobody said anything else.”

Casper’s jersey is one of the few white, the color of Denmark’s away jersey. The color is that of peace, but it was during the war when this Dane witnessed the moment of Eriksen’s collapse. Without revealing the mission he was carrying out in Baghdad, he remembers the silence in the room where he was: “Everyone was silent. Nobody spoke. “Everyone was reflecting on their thoughts and praying that everything would be okay.”

Casper was the only Danish soldier in that room, shared with some Spaniards. That’s why he felt the whole situation more, alone and from a distance. Which is not to say that he did not share the same feelings: “When that happened, we all came together. All the Danes united. He is a symbol for us.”Explain.

He no longer remembers the rest of the game, seen in Baghdad. But remember that this was of little value. “After his problem, nothing else mattered. The game much less. “We just wanted it to be good.” And he stayed. Now, Casper, in Stuttgart, saw him live and score a goal.

Karsten. “I went to my room to pray. “I only stopped when I knew it was okay.”

Karsten is 19 years old. I was 16 years old when that Denmark-Finland match was played. At that moment he thought it was inevitable: Christian Eriksen, his idol, was going to die. “I was devastated, I really thought the worst was over. “I couldn’t even see, I had to leave the room, I went to the bedroom and prayed.” He remained there for several dozen minutes. It is often said that God does not respond to football requests, but it was not the game that was prayed for at this time. And that’s why Karsten only stopped when good news arrived. “I only stopped praying when my mother knocked on my room door and she told me that she had regained consciousness and that she was already going to the hospital. It was a relief. At that moment I just thought ‘okay, my prayer helped.'”

Whether it is or not, it is an act that demonstrates the passion that the Danes have for their number 10. And Karsten in particular, being his idol since childhood and adolescence. So there was only one thing to do to honor Eriksen. “This is his Euro 2020 shirt. It is a very important shirt for me. I had to buy it.”

And he bought it, although he thought that the years of seeing Christian on the pitch were over. “I never expected him to play again, because the most important thing was that he was healthy. Playing again was a very distant dream. “It is a miracle that he is here, in the Euro Cup, playing.” And score? What would it be then? “It would be very special.” Karsten can now confirm that this was the case.

Emilio. “He means everything to us. We love it”

Emile was where it all happened, at the stadium. It is worth remembering that in Euro 2020, played in several European countries, Denmark played the three group stage matches at Parken in Copenhagen. Emilio was there. And you’ll never forget what he saw. “I saw him fall. At first I thought he was just hurt. Only later did I realize it was worse than that.” And he only realized it with the help of some friends, who were at home. I was shocked, I didn’t know what to think. At the stadium we didn’t really understand what had happened, we had to send a message to whoever he was watching on television,” she says.

The next few days were strange and very moving. Emile’s statement was also the most moving, with feelings coming to the surface when he described that moment: “It was like a moment of national mourning. We were all very sad and just wanted good news. Fortunately, they arrived and even helped the team have a good Euro 2020.”

But the “good euro” did not matter. Unlike this year. In this one, it’s to avenge what happened, especially since Christian is here. Something Emile wouldn’t have believed if we had told him three years ago. “At first we thought it was done, that his career was over. Because we just wanted him to be in good health. To be honest, I’m really happy he’s back. He is our most important player, we love him.”

In the end we asked him why he was wearing that shirt. With his eyes already red, he responded: “He is my favorite player, without a doubt. This sweater is very special to me after what happened. Christian is everything to the Danes. We love him,” he reaffirms.

Magnus. “My father had to leave home. He went for a walk. “I couldn’t see that anymore.”

Magnus couldn’t get a ticket to the stadium, but he watched the game with his family. He remembers what he felt when he saw those distressing images on television. Mainly the moment when the Danish team gathered around Eriksen to block their colleague from the cameras. I saw everything. Your father couldn’t: “It was a big shock for everyone. My father had to leave home. He went out for a walk because he couldn’t see him anymore.”

Still, the timing and the attitude of the Danish players set an example. Magnus felt proud of his country, perhaps as he had never felt when he was still young. “We all came together. The Danes and the team. We realize that sometimes we value things that don’t matter,” he says.

And it wasn’t just the team’s example that remained. The merit also belongs to the man who “died” and was reborn from the ashes. Eriksen was already an idol for Magnus. From then on he became something more. “He is our biggest star, he is an incredible player, he is my example. I have followed him since I was little, he has always been my idol. In addition, I also play in the center of the field, like him.”.

Carl. “I was in the stadium, near him. I started to cry”

Like Emile, Carl was also at the stadium, but with some differences. Emile was further away, but he saw him. Carl was closer and didn’t see him. But you don’t need to have seen the moment to feel the emotion. “I was in the Copenhagen stadium. I started to cry. I was very close to him, I didn’t see him fall, I just saw him stretched out. “It was… (pause) it was hard, but I think it also showed the strength that the Danes have.”

And this force was what kept a country together. But even in the days that followed, and even though Christian was feeling fine, a gray cloud continued to hang over each Dane. “We were all in shock, even though we knew he had survived. We prayed for several months that he would be okay and return. And she came back.”

He’s back and Carl is going to see him again, something he thought was unthinkable at the time, and now he’s even scheduled it. He tells the Observer that he is not his biggest idol, but that he is close to him. Who knows, this Sunday’s goal helped him move up a position: “I grew up watching another great player and that’s why it’s difficult. But apart from Laudrup, he is the best Danish player in history,” he admits.

It was one of the most memorable days in the history of the European Championship and will live long in our memories. But now there is another one to remember. Danish fans will surely never forget this Sunday, the day Christian Eriksen was resurrected and returned to play in the Euro… scoring… and receiving the Man of the Match award, despite the draw. They will know who they were with, what they felt, what they said, what they didn’t say.