Christian Eriksen Completes Premier League Comeback 229 Days After Cardiac Arrest

This was the moment Christian Eriksen returned to professional soccer 259 days after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

Eriksen, 30, started on the bench for Brentford in Saturday's Premier League home clash with Newcastle. But Brentford manager Thomas Frank had promised in the build-up to the game that Eriksen would "get on the pitch".

Frank kept his word as Eriksen was brought on as a 52nd substitute for fellow Denmark international Mathias Jensen.

Christian Eriksen made his return to the Premier League, 259 days after suffering a cardiac arrest

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It was not the way Frank would have wanted to introduce his star man. Brentford were 2-0 down when Eriksen entered the action, after Joelinton and Jacob Murphy had scored for Newcastle following a red card for Pelenda Da Silva on 11 minutes.

All four corners of the Brentford Community Stadium stood to applaud Eriksen, including the traveling Newcastle supporters in the away end.

The game ended 2-0 to Newcastle but Eriksen's bright performance will have encouraged his manager.

He touched the ball 36 times and completed more passes (24) than half of his teammates who had started the game.

Eriksen was an Inter Milan player at the time of his cardiac arrest, which occurred on the pitch while he was representing Denmark against Finland in Copenhagen.

Eriksen received some final instructions before coming off the bench to make his Brentford debut

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As part of his treatment he was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Italian rules dictate that players fitted with an ICD cannot play in Serie A, so Eriksen had his Inter contract terminated by mutual consent in December.

A month later he joined Brentford on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

His cameo against Newcastle was his 227th Premier League appearance.

In 226 Premier League games for former club Tottenham Hotspur, Eriksen scored 51 goals and provided 62 assists.

Eriksen's current contract only runs until June 30 and he has been linked with a potential return to Spurs - the club he left to join Inter in January 2020 - this summer.

Spurs manager Antonio Conte was in charge at Inter when they signed Eriksen.

Eriksen's first touches of the ball were widely cheered at the Brentford Community Stadium

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And Conte opened the door to a potential return for Eriksen when he spoke to Sky Sports earlier this month.

"For sure, Eriksen is part of Tottenham's story. To come back here would be a good opportunity for him, for me, for the club," Conte said.

"But now he's signed for Brentford, only six months, and we'll see what happens.

"I'm the first person to be happy to see him again on the pitch because we spent a really good time at Inter Milan together.

"We won the league, we spent two important seasons together. I wish him all the best for the future. And you don't know what will happen.

"It would be good for me to have him again, to work together."

Eriksen waved to fans before starting Saturday's game against Newcastle on the bench

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