Manchester United star Christian Eriksen has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award after returning to top-level football after his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
The Denmark international midfielder, who is aged 31, collapsed on the field playing for his country against Finland.
It was in their opening match of the European Championship, held in 2021.
Eriksen was successfully resuscitated on the pitch at the Parken Stadion and was later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
That meant he was unable to continue playing for Inter Milan because of Serie A rules but Eriksen signed for Brentford in January 2022 and impressed in the second-half of the season.
His performances were sufficient to persuade United to snap up the free agent last summer, with Eriksen one of their best performers until he suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined until late April.
Combining nicely with the Brazilian Casemiro in United’s midfield, Eriksen scored twice and contributed nine assists in 31 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side before his injury setback.
It has resulted in his nomination for a prestigious Laureus award, with the winners set to be revealed in the Spring.
Eriksen faces competition from five other athletes, including golfer Tiger Woods, who returned to make the cut at the US Masters despite a career-threatening car crash.
Other nominees in his category are NBA star Klay Thompson, MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia, runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Tour de France Femme winner Annemiek van Vieuten.
The winners will be determined by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which consists of Olympic champions and sporting legends, including ex-Man United player Sir Bobby Charlton.
