DOHA, Qatar -- It was standing-room-only in the media tent at Denmark's base. The staff had predicted this influx of interest in the player put up for interview, and when Christian Eriksen quietly slipped in, appearing at the top table, the room fell silent.

Those in attendance wanted to hear about the man whose heart stopped for five minutes on the pitch during the last major men's international tournament, Euro 2020, which was played in 2021 due to the pandemic. They were keen to comprehend his journey, one that brought him from receiving CPR on the pitch in Copenhagen to starring for Manchester United and, now, leading another Danish charge for major honours just 18 months later, here in Qatar. And doing it as their best player, again.

"From the first interview I did, [reaching the World Cup] was my first aim from day one, when I knew about the possibility of being able to come back," Eriksen said.

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"Christian is very humble, and a lot of people look up to him," Denmark assistant coach Morten Wieghorst says. "A lot of people took inspiration from the way he has rebounded."

You sense he's done talking about what happened at the Parken Stadium on June 12, 2021. He calls it the "accident" when asked, but his focus is simply being back in the red of Denmark. And according to those close to him, he's better than ever.

It feels as though everyone connected with football or Denmark has their stories and memories of where they were when Eriksen collapsed. But some are done talking about it, either keen to focus on the future, or reluctant to recall the moment, as it's too raw.

Eriksen spoke to the media in Qatar on Saturday, four days before Denmark's opening match against Tunisia. Their training camp is based to the west of Doha at Al-Sailiya Sports Club, housed amid vast construction projects stretching across a barren landscape. The highways are barely finished, with some exits leading to little more than rubble.

As Denmark train behind the metal fences and temporary hoardings intended to block public view, there is a sole supporter outside waiting to catch a glimpse of his heroes. Victor, who's come all the way from Vejle in Denmark, is hoping to see his hero, Thomas Delaney, but as he starts talking about Eriksen and remembering that day, he gets goose bumps.

On June 12, Denmark were playing Finland in their opening match of the Euros. It was Day 2 of the tournament, and some were fancying Denmark to make a deep run. They started fairly well against Finland, building momentum in front of a packed crowd in Copenhagen, and then, the "accident" happened.

In the 43rd minute, Eriksen collapsed. The match was halted. He'd stopped breathing. His teammates formed a protective, concealing circle around him. "I work in a zoo, and we're all taught first aid. So you could see straight away it was serious," Victor says, recalling the incident. "At the start, no one saw what happened, as he just fell over. And then when they cut to him and the players were around him, you could see the medics were giving CPR to him and we were like, s---, he's dead.

"People asked me to explain what was happening, and I had to tell them that when you give CPR to a person, it means they are dead, that's a fact. Then, fortunately, they got him alive again. It felt like forever as we waited for news."

Roughly an hour later, after the match stopped, the Danish FA announced Eriksen's condition had stabilised. He stayed in hospital as his teammates played on, and had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device fitted. Then, the recovery process began.

Eriksen made his Premier League return on Feb. 26 for Brentford, and on March 26, he returned for Denmark in their match against the Netherlands. He needed just two minutes to score, hitting a beautiful, arching first-time shot off Andreas Skov Olsen's cross. Later on, he hit the post. "You have to be careful what you say, but he was almost better than ever," Denmark defender Jannik Vestergaard says.

Denmark fan Victor remembers that feeling of seeing Eriksen pull on the red shirt again. "It was an amazing moment," he says. "We knew he was fine and stuff like that, but we were worried about it, and to see what happened, and if it could happen again and stuff like that. It was so weird actually, but to see him again, it's just amazing. Every time you see him you have it in your mind, and think it cannot be true -- he's playing at his best level ever."

That feeling of "it cannot be true" resonates through his team, too. "He is a quality player, and in my view, he has returned even better than before the accident, and it is great to see," Wieghorst says. "He brings vision, technical quality and goals to our team: He is pivotal to our team, a fantastic player.

"It is great to have him back, his teammates love him and he is such an important character. He is inspirational for a lot of fans back home, and for people who do not necessarily follow football, he has been a big inspiration, and that speaks volumes about his character, his strength and love of football."

To read the full story on Christian Eriksen and Denmark's World Cup 2022 progress, click here.