Daley Blind's tears vs Ukraine & his struggles since Christian Eriksen

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By Benjamin Newman

Published: June 14, 2021 11:33 am

Last Updated: June 14, 2021 11:42 am

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Daley Blind’s tears vs Ukraine

In the 64th minute of Holland’s crazy 3-2 win against Ukraine on Sunday, Daley Blind was subbed off the pitch for Nathan Ake.

When Blind exited the pitch, the former Man United defender was in tears.

Now back at Ajax, Blind wiped those tears with his Oranje jersey as he ambled towards the Dutch dugout.

Een emotionele Daley Blind twijfelde of hij vanavond mee zou spelen met Oranje na het heftige voorval van zijn goede vriend Christian Eriksen❤️ → https://t.co/XD9rU18Dyv pic.twitter.com/rrxcxwc5p1

— NOS Sport (@NOSsport) June 13, 2021

Blind on his struggles since Christian Eriksen’s collapse

After the match, Dutch broadcaster NOS spoke to Blind, and the defender opened up about how he’s been impacted by Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during the Finland game.

Blind has his own heart issues to monitor after he was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation.

The Dutch defender has been fitted with an implanted defibrillator.

Blind collapsed during in 2020 during an Ajax pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin due to his heart condition.

Within that context, Blind said the following after the Ukraine game:

Yesterday had a huge impact on me. Besides the fact that I know Christian well as a friend, the situation for him is terrible. Of course I have also experienced a few things in that area, so that I had to overcome a mental hurdle to play.

I had a lot of trouble with it, but I’m proud that I did it. Then all the emotion comes out for a while.

I’ve definitely thought about not taking part. The images and the moment had a lot of impact and I didn’t sleep very well because of them. I really had to overcome a big hurdle to do this.

Daley Blind was emotional after coming off the pitch in Netherland’s win over Ukraine, and considered not playing in the match. pic.twitter.com/fbLRGVBMyr

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 14, 2021

We were with a number of guys who also experienced Abdelhak Nouri [who was left with permanent brain damage after collapsing during a pre-season friendly while at Ajax] and also with teammates of Christian. It has so much impact. It is very recognisable to me and that made it intense. Also for my family. My parents, my wife.

Leave him alone. Don’t speculate about his future. Give him time and space to recover. If it didn’t go well, it would start haunting your head even more. He now even encourages his teammates to play. That’s why I decided to play myself. Also because I’m safe according to the doctors.

For those who don’t know, Daley Blind suffered form heart problems himself, went to the ground twice in the space of 1 year in 2019/2020. He plays with a ICD machine in his body these days.

His emotional breakdown on Dutch television is totally understandable, such a warrior.

— (@TheEuropeanLad) June 13, 2021

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