SIMON KJAER
Denmark captain an inspirational figure on and off the pitch
Purely in terms of sporting accomplishments, 2021 was a vintage affair for the 32-year-old Milan and Denmark central defensive warrior: steady as a rock as his club sealed their first Champions League qualification since 2013, then skippering the Danish national team to a highly satisfying last-four berth at the Euro 2020 finals.
But much more significantly, he showed himself to be an outstanding human being, reacting with calmness, clarity and empathy when Denmark team-mate Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship tie against Finland in June.
Kjaer was indeed a lifesaver on that afternoon in Copenhagen, quickly realising the gravity of the situation, putting Eriksen in the recovery position, ensuring his airways were cleared and starting CPR prior to medics arriving on the scene. In an emblematic moment of football embracing humanity, Kjaer also encouraged his team-mates to form a protective ring around Eriksen as he was treated with a defibrillator and resuscitated. Kjaer the guardian angel, Kjaer the sentinel, Kjaer the compassionate, on hand to offer comfort on the pitch to Eriksen’s partner, Sabrina Kvist Jensen.
That day in Copenhagen, Kjaer was a leader in every sense of the word and rightly – along with on-site and Danish federation medical staff – was awarded the UEFA President’s Award for 2021. “Kjaer: a reason for pride,” ran the headline in the Diario de Sevilla ,a newspaper located in the Spanish city where Kjaer used to play.
True to his down-to-earth character, the much-travelled stopper – who in a nomadic career has worn the colours of no fewer than nine pro teams, including
Palermo, Wolfsburg, Lille, Roma and Fenerbahce – insists on shunning the individual accolades. “I’m not a hero,” he explained to the Italian sports daily
Corriere dello Sport in August. “I acted without thinking. My instincts guided me and I did what I had to do automatically. It’s what anyone else would have done. This is the first time this sort of thing has happened to me. I hope it’s the last.
“I was able to stay lucid, like all my team-mates. It was the work of the whole team. Obviously we would have done the same if it had been an opponent. That’s it. The only thing that matters is that Christian is now OK. Only that’s important.”
One of the 30-strong shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award, Kjaer is living proof that there’s always hope in difficult times. Before moving to Milan in January 2020, his career appeared to be in a cul-de-sac, only serving as a back-up for the likes of Atalanta and Sevilla. Now reborn and reinvigorated at the San Siro, he recently extended his contract with the Rossoneri until 2024 and fully expects to end his playing days in Lombardy. “2021 has been a crazy year for me. Milan are on the up and Denmark did well at the Euros and have qualified for the next World Cup. It’s been a great time in my career and I wouldn’t have achieved if I hadn’t come to Milan.”