"My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar," Christian Eriksen told Danish channel DR1. "It's up to the manager to assess my level. But my heart is not an obstacle." Eriksen has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest and is without a club after mutually agreeing to leave Inter
Wednesday 5 January 2022 06:02, UK
Christian Eriksen has revealed he is aiming to play for Denmark at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and says "my heart is not an obstacle".
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark's Euro 2020 group opener against Finland in Copenhagen, and was later fitted with a heart-starting device (ICD).
Inter Milan mutually agreed to terminate his contract last month, with Eriksen unable to play in Serie A with a cardiac device due to Italian health regulations.
The former Tottenham midfielder has not played since the incident, but is confident he is capable of returning on the biggest stage at the end of this year.
"My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar," Eriksen told Danish channel DR1. "I want to play. That's been my mindset all along.
"It's a goal, a dream, whether I'll be picked is another thing. But it's my dream to come back.
"I'm sure I can come back because I don't feel any different. Physically, I'm back in top shape.
"That's been my goal, and it's still some time away, so until then I'm just going to play football and prove that I'm back at the same level.
"My dream is to rejoin the national team and play at Parken again, and prove that it was a one-timer and that it won't happen again. I want to prove that I can move on and play for the national team again.
"Again, it's up to the manager to assess my level. But my heart is not an obstacle."
Eriksen's long-term representative Martin Schoots told Sky Sports News last month clubs have been enquiring about his client.
"Christian is doing really fine," he said. "We're hopeful he can get back in professional football. There is no reason not to be optimistic.
"He is working really hard, and I'm glad that he was able to do that during the last few months in silence.
"It's too early to say where Christian's future lies. Because of special regulations in Italy, which have already existed for decades, the only thing we know for sure is that it will not be in Italy. And it will not be in another continent either, because of family reasons.
"A few clubs have already contacted us some weeks ago. We have to see what the future brings. But it seems bright and that is the most important thing."
