Christian Eriksen and VfL Wolfsburg agree mutual contract termination after June collapse
Christian Eriksen has left VfL Wolfsburg by mutual consent, the club announced on Wednesday, after the 34-year-old collapsed during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine in June. The midfielder has been recuperating in his homeland.
The decision ends Eriksen’s deal with Wolfsburg early; the contract had been due to run until June 2027. He joined the club as a free agent a year ago and made 34 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing 10 assists. Those contributions were not enough to prevent Wolfsburg’s relegation from the Bundesliga.
Eriksen said he returned to Denmark in July to undergo a rehabilitation programme and commented on the agreement with Wolfsburg: “At the moment, it is important for me to be close to my family in Denmark. I’m pleased that we were able to find a solution together,” Eriksen said in a statement. “My time in Wolfsburg was marked by many highs and lows,” he added.
Wolfsburg’s managing director of sport, Dieter Hecking, confirmed the club granted Eriksen’s request to cancel the agreement and paid tribute to his impact: “He has already experienced and achieved a great deal during his extraordinary career,” Hecking said. “Despite his short time here, he has left a lasting impression on his teammates, our staff and the fans.”
Eriksen suffered a further on-pitch collapse in June and said the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device he wears “did what it was designed to do” after that incident. He posted on social media: “Receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major impact on both me and my family, but I want to reassure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021,” Eriksen posted on social media. “I am feeling good, and my recovery has already started,” Eriksen added. “I am incredibly grateful to the doctors who have cared for me and my heart over the years. Thanks to their expertise, my ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it.”
Before his collapse in 2021, Eriksen had played for Ajax, Tottenham and Internazionale. He was fitted with an ICD device and had to leave Inter because Serie A rules prohibit playing with a pacemaker. After joining Brentford in 2022, Eriksen spent three years at Manchester United before joining Wolfsburg last summer.
His last appearance for Wolfsburg came in May’s promotion/relegation playoff defeat to Paderborn, and Eriksen said he believes the club can return to the top tier: “I know that the club is now in good hands as it aims to make its way back to the Bundesliga, and I am convinced that a successful future lies ahead for VfL.”