"Everything changed. If Christian had passed away, I wouldn't have played anymore. I have understood that football is football and life is life. Football is work and passion, life is something else", says Simon Kjaer.
The Danish captain watched the incident when the former Tottenham player collapsed on the pitch and stood arm in arm with Thomas Delaney and Yussuf Poulsen, facing Christian Eriksen, as he was receiving treatment. Later, Simon Kjaer took part in comforting Eriksen's girlfriend, Sabrina Kvist Jensen.
Occasionally, some of the feelings from the trauma that Simon Kjaer experienced that night flare up, says the former AC Milan defensive profile. That was the case a few days ago when his son took part in a football match where another boy broke his wrist, and an ambulance drove right onto the pitch.
"I felt uncomfortable. But as long as Christian is doing well, I am doing well. They have explained to me that with trauma, you remember some things and you don't remember other things", says the former national team captain.
Kjaer also reveals that he has learned to deal with the trauma and that it's not something he thinks about every day. At the same time, he has never seen footage of the incident again.
The Danish defender ended his career at the age of 35 in January this year after his contract with AC Milan expired in July 2024. He stated that it was the right time to end his career and that he would not sign with another club, even though he received offers.
Christian Eriksen, who today is 33 years old, is still a key profile in the Danish national team who tonight can take another step towards qualifying for the World Cup next year if they beat Belarus at home in Copenhagen.