One of Christian Eriksen's international teammates has revealed what Denmark's players whispered in the shocking moments following the stricken midfielder's cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Euro 2020 match.
The former Tottenham star, who has just been released from his Inter Milan contract, collapsed as his country took on Finland in their opening match at the competition.
Six months on, RB Leipzig striker and compatriot Yussuf Poulsen has movingly described the minutes that followed Eriksen's scare, as the rest of the Denmark team formed a circle around him to prevent further graphic scenes being caught on camera.
"When we stood around him at that time, we all feared that we might be watching him die," admitted Poulsen to the Central German Newspaper, as relayed by Sky Germany.
"I still remember how each of us whispered or thought: 'Please get through it'."
Two weeks ago, Poulsen was shown how the incident unfolded as part of a TV review that thrust him back into the nightmare.
"It was tough to look at because all the emotions from the day came back too," he confessed. "If it had happened to him in his living room, he wouldn't be here now.
"Thank God he did it so we can all talk about it more or less normally, because it's basically a good story.
"It's good because most people would have died in Christian's situation. He was lucky that it happened during the game and everything [medical] was [available] nearby to bring him back immediately."
While Eriksen's teammates went on to honor their colleague with a courageous run to the semifinals, in which they were beaten 2-1 by England, Eriksen has not kicked a competitive ball since.
The pacemaker-style device he has been fitted with has prevented him from having the chance to help Inter defend their Serie A crown under rules in Italy.
The 29-year-old is now training at his home club Odense BK with a potential return to Dutch giants Ajax rumored to be among his options.
Eriksen's brush with death was the first of several heart scares professional footballers have suffered in recent months.
In October, Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero had to leave the pitch during a Liga match for Barcelona against Alaves and was taken to hospital while complaining of chest problems and feeling dizzy.
After a cardiac ablation to restore a normal heartbeat, Aguero's cardiologist revealed his patient will be able to lead a "normal life", but the Argentina icon was forced to tearfully announce his retirement from the sport last week.
Manchester United and Sweden defender Victor Lindelof was reported as "struggling to breath" and had to leave the pitch prematurely in a recent Premier League match.
Lindelof has now returned to training with United after being closely monitored for several days following the worrying incident.