Antonio on Eriksen: “It will be a pleasure to give him a big hug before the game”
Antonio Conte spoke for all Spurs fans when he told us that he was just delighted to see Christian Eriksen back on a football pitch.
Our legendary former midfielder - 305 appearances between 2013-2000 - moved to Inter in January, 2020 and won the Serie A title under Antonio in 2020/21. And it was that summer when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch playing for Denmark against Finland in the European Championships on 12 June, a sight that no doubt tore at the heart strings of anyone connected with Spurs.
Thankfully, Christian pulled through and, incredibly, after a medical procedure, was able to return to football. He signed for Brentford in January and has been in fine form as the Bees have won five of their last six, including wins against Chelsea and West Ham, to move up to 12th. Christian has started six matches and capped his return to action by scoring within two minutes of coming off the bench in his first match back for Denmark against Holland last month.
Now we'll face our former favourite for the first time as we make our first appearance at Brentford's new Community Stadium in a key Premier League clash on Saturday (5.30pm).
Speaking at his press conference, Antonio said: “First of all, I'm very happy to see him play football again, because don't forget in June it was terrible, the images were terrible for everybody. We suffered a lot for him, for his family.
“To see him again, to meet him tomorrow for a game, it will be a pleasure for me. It's incredible, because not long ago what happened and to see him again play football makes me very happy, because I know that football is his life.”
Previewing the match with Spurs TV, Antonio added: “For sure, it will be very important to see him and that he’s playing again. I’ve seen him, when he arrived to go to play for Brentford, I had the opportunity to speak with him. I’m delighted to meet him again tomorrow.
“He deserves the best, because we are not only taking about a great player, but a great person as well. Christian and his family deserve the best for the present and the future. For this reason, it will be a pleasure for me to give him a big hug before the game, and after the game.”