Cardiac arrest victim Christian Eriksen called his return to action less than nine months after his ordeal for Denmark at EURO 2020 "very special" – replacing the man who came on for him in the finals on his debut for Premier League club Brentford against Newcastle.
Former Danish and Dutch player of the year Eriksen completed a remarkable comeback when he emerged to an emotional reception at the London club's home, coming off the bench in place of Mathias Jensen in the 52nd minute of the game on Saturday.
Brentford regular Jensen watched the horror unfold at close quarters when Eriksen collapsed on the pitch against Finland at Denmark's Parken home during the group stage game at the tournament.
The midfielder had been carrying out shuttle runs on the sidelines as a substitute when medics rushed to the sidelines to resuscitate Eriksen and take him to hospital.
Jensen then played as Finland won with the only goal of the game during a second half that he admitted he could not remember on a traumatic day.
To the relief of the world, Eriksen woke up but was subsequently forced to bring his career at Inter Milan to an end under rules in Italy that bar professionals from playing with the pacemaker-style device he was fitted with.
The 30-year-old has now returned to the English top flight with the Premier League newcomers who are based in London, where he twice won Player of the Year during a seven-year spell at Tottenham before joining Inter.
"Taking away the result, I'm one happy man," Eriksen told Sky Sports following the Bees' 2-0 defeat to the Magpies.
"To have been through what I've been through, my family, to be back again here is a wonderful feeling and I'm just happy that it's happened really.
"It's been very special since day one. To be on the pitch is very special. Everyone is here: my family, my parents, of course my kids and some doctors who've been helping me back and forth.
"Everyone is here. What they've been through is even tougher than what I've been through."
Revitalized Newcastle had resembled relegation certainties before their majority takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund prompted a resurgence that saw them leapfrog Brentford into 14th place with their latest win.
Brentford are now only three points clear of the relegation zone, which contains three teams who all have more games to play than Thomas Frank's team.
"It was a big, big, big moment," the manager who knew Eriksen from his time with Denmark's youth setup said of his new signing's bow.
"I'm pleased for Christian. It was a fantastic reception from everyone, including the Newcastle fans.
"I didn't expect anything else but it's just nice to see. Some things in football can just unite everyone.
"I'm pretty sure that now Christian just wants to play football and not talk about anything else.
"What happened in June will always be there, of course. He doesn't try to run away with anything but I think he will just look forward to speaking with his feet."
Frank and his players face two potentially crucial matches in the next fortnight, taking on Norwich – the team bottom of the table – and third-bottom Burnley.