Christian Eriksen has issued a defiant statement. Photo / Getty Images
The world took a collective breath when it was revealed that Danish football star Christian Eriksen was stable and alive in hospital after his shock collapse over the weekend.
It was just before halftime in the Euro 2020 clash between Denmark and Finland that Eriksen fell face first to the ground, sparking horrific scenes on the field, in the stands and in loungerooms across the world.
Danish captain Simon Kjaer and referee Anthony Taylor were praised for their quick actions, while the doctors and medics worked to save Eriksen's life.
While he was later revealed to be alive and stable in a Copenhagen hospital, it was also explained how close Eriksen came to death with the Danish team doctor Martin Boesen saying he couldn't find a pulse.
But while there have been statements about Eriksen's health over the past few days, the man himself sent a brief statement to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Thank you all, I won't give up," Eriksen said.
"I feel better now but I want to understand what happened.
"I want to say thank you for all you did for me."
The world had sent an outpouring of tributes to the star, including fans as well as current and former teammates.
This included Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, who plays with Eriksen at Inter Milan, and South Korea's Son Heung-min, his former Tottenham teammate, both paying tribute during their respective games.
Eriksen's friend and agent Martin Schoots also told the publication that Eriksen was blown away by the support he had received.
"He joked, he was in a good mood, I found him fine," Schoots said.
"We all want to understand what happened to him, he wants to do it too: the doctors are carrying out in-depth examinations, it will take time.
"He was happy because he understood how much love is around. Messages have reached him from all over the world.
"And he was particularly impressed by those of the Inter world: not only the teammates he heard through the chat, but also the fans.
"Christian doesn't give up. He and his family want to send their thanks to everyone.
"Half the world has contacted us, everyone was worried.
"Now he just has to rest, with him are his wife and parents."
Confusion still reigns over what the cause of Eriksen's issue was as testing continues on the 29-year-old star.
But criticism quickly turned to his club teams, who said on Sunday that Eriksen didn't show any sign of any underlying health condition.
"We had a bad time, not just me, but the whole family of our club," Piero Volpi told Gazzetta Dello Sport over the weekend.
"In the next few days he will be subjected to in-depth examinations.
"The important thing is that he is well, but there had never been any episode that even remotely hinted at a problem when he was at Tottenham nor at Inter. In Italy there are very strict controls."
But speaking to PA News Agency, Professor Sanjay Sharma, who worked with Eriksen during his seven-year stint at Tottenham Hotspur, warned that football bodies would be reluctant to allow the Inter Milan midfielder to play again.
"Clearly something went terribly wrong," Sharma told the PA news agency.
"But they managed to get him back, the question is what happened? And why did it happen?
"This guy had normal tests all the way up to 2019 so how do you explain this cardiac arrest?
"The fact he's stable and awake, his outlook is going to be very good.
"I don't know whether he'll ever play football again.
"Without putting it too bluntly, he died today, albeit for a few minutes, but he did die and would the medical professional allow him to die again?
"The answer is no.
"His cardiac arrest has rocked the entire nation today and that's what happens. It's not just them that it affects, it's the psyche of so many people.
"The good news is he will live, the bad news is he was coming to the end of his career, so would he play another professional football game? That I can't say.
"In the UK he wouldn't play. We'd be very strict about it."