Former Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has opened up about his feelings during the Euros after then-Nerazzurri teammate suffered a health crisis on the pitch.
In an interview with UEFA’s official social media channel, as reported by FCInterNews, the Belgian explained that he was deeply affected by what had happened to his friend Eriksen and that he played for the Dane throughout the tournament.
Eriksen’s collapse from what was determined to be a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s EURO 2020 opener against Finland shocked the world of football, and no one more so than the teammates who were closest to him.
Lukaku had spent a year and a half together with the Dane at Inter, and as he explained, the two became a regular part of one another’s lives during their time spent with the Nerazzurri.
The Belgian decided to dedicate all of his games for the duration of the tournament, at which his country reached the quarter-final stage before being eliminated by Italy, to Eriksen.
“Against Russia it was really hard,” he explained of the match which took place shortly after Eriksen’s colapse. “During my time at Inter I spent more time with Christian than with my mother, my son, or my brother because in Italy you stay with the team all day.”
He went on, “His room was next to mine, he played Call of Duty and things like that. So when he passed out on the pitch and I heard about what had happened I started crying. I was constantly thinking about him.”
The Belgian stated that “On the way to the St. Petersburg stadium I needed something to improve my mood, so I decided to play for him throughout the tournament. I wanted to do something that could support him and show him that I was with him. I also sent him a message, and I was happy that he answered.”
