Christian Dannemann Eriksen (born February 14, 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who currently plays midfield for Premier League club Manchester United and the Danish national team. He is recognized for his vision, technique, passing, and free-kick skills.
Eriksen began his professional club career with Ajax at the age of 18 in 2010, winning three Eredivisie titles and the KNVB Cup. Eriksen joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for £11 million (€12.45 million).
Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during a UEFA Euro 2020 match on June 12, 2021, after suffering a heart attack. He was treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
He returned to football eight months later, joining Premier League club Brentford before transferring to Manchester United the following season.
At the age of 18, Eriksen made his senior international debut for Denmark in 2010. Since then, he has amassed over 120 caps and competed in five major championships. He played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the youngest player as well.
Eriksen has won a record five times as Danish Football Player of the Year and is his nation’s fifth-highest goal scorer of all time.
Early Life
Christian Erikson was born on February 14, 1992, in Middlefart, Denmark. He started playing football before the age of three.
He joined Odense Boldklub at the age of thirteen in 2005 and began competing in Danish youth championships.
He did well in his rookie season, but his squad was defeated in the semifinals. At the end of the tournament, he was named ‘Best Technical Player’.
His outstanding achievements piqued the interest of numerous European football clubs. He eventually decided to accept a contract worth approximately one million euros with the Amsterdam-based team Ajax.
Club Career
Christian Eriksen scored his first goal for Ajax on March 25, 2010, against tGo-Aheadead Eagles. In his debut season with the team, he appeared in 21 matches. Despite only scoring one goal, his whole performance was well-received, and he was chosen to make his international debut the same year.
His performance throughout the 2010-11 season was equally excellent. In December, he was crowned Danish ‘Talent of the Year’.
He continued to demonstrate his importance by scoring goals in other successful games. That year, he won several awards, including Ajax’s ‘Talent of the Year’ and the ‘Dutch Football Talent of the Year,’ becoming only the second Danish player to do so.
He made numerous assists throughout the season, and his contribution to the squad was well appreciated.
He eventually left Ajax after 113 league games and 25 goals. He later joined English club Tottenham Hotspur. He made his league debut in September 2013 against Norwich City, and his team won 2-0.
He proceeded to play excellently for the squad, scoring several goals. He scored ten goals throughout the season and was named Danish Player of the Year.
As his impressive career progressed, he was named Danish Footballer of the Year for the third time in 2016.
Erikson became the first player to win the award three times in a row. Throughout the 2016-17 season, he scored eight goals and assisted fifteen times.
His club finished second in the league, trailing only the champions Chelsea. The following season, he continued to score for his team and won the ‘Tottenham Player of the Year accolade for the second time.
Manchester United
Eriksen took a free kick for Manchester United on the first day of the 2022-23 Premier League season.
On July 15, 2022, Manchester United announced that they had agreed to sign Eriksen on a three-year contract.
On July 28, 2022, it was confirmed that he would wear the number 14 shirt. Eriksen made his Premier League debut on August 7, losing 2-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
He provided his first assist in a 3-1 home league win over Arsenal, setting up Marcus Rashford’s second goal. He netted his first goal for the club in a 2-1 away league win over Fulham.
Despite missing the final due to an ankle injury, Eriksen was an important part of United’s 2022-23 EFL Cup victory, scoring his first home goal for the club in a 2-0 fourth-round win over Burnley at Old Trafford.
International career
Eriksen was called up to Denmark’s national under-17 football squad in July 2007, and he impressed in his debut on July 31.
In 2008, he scored eight goals in 16 games for the U-17s and was voted Danish U-17 Talent of the Year by the Danish Football Association.
He was among four nominees for the 2008 Danish Talent of the Year award, won by Mathias Jørgensen. He played 27 games for the under-17 team until February 2009. In 2009, he played eight games for Denmark’s U-18 and U-19 teams.
Eriksen was also called up to the Danish U-21 squad for the 2011 European Championship in Denmark. The Danish team only made it to the group stage, although Eriksen scored a goal against Belarus.
Senior
Eriksen received his first senior Denmark call-up in February 2010 and made his debut in a friendly match against Austria in March, becoming Denmark’s fourth youngest full international and the youngest debutant since Michael Laudrup.
Morten Olsen, the coach of Denmark, said on May 28, 2010, that Eriksen would be included in the final 23-player roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was the competition’s youngest player.
Eriksen participated in two World Cup games, with Denmark losing to Japan and the Netherlands in the group stage.
Eriksen was named man of the match in a 2-1 friendly loss at home to England on February 9, 2011, and was praised for his performance by several prominent football figures, including Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand (on Twitter), manager Morten Olsen, and several Danish and English media experts.
Eriksen’s debut goal for his country was on June 4, 2011, when Denmark defeated Iceland 2-0 in their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match.
By accomplishing this, he surpassed Michael Laudrup, who scored his first goal in 1983, by becoming the youngest Danish player to score a goal in a European qualification by just nine days.
Net Worth
Eriksen is one of the richest players in the world, with a net worth of $30 million. He accumulated the wealth from Facebook and another endorsement.