Simon Thorup Kjaer (born 26 March 1989) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan and captains the Denmark national team.
Kjaer was named 2007 Danish under-19 talent of the year and 2009 Danish Talent of the Year. He has played over 130 matches for Denmark, including participation at the FIFA World Cup in 2010, 2018 and 2022, and the UEFA European Championship in 2012 and 2020.
He captained the side for the UEFA Euro 2020. On 12 June 2021, while playing their opening match against Finland, when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch, Kjaer was the first to help him and summon the medical team to quickly get onto the pitch. He also made sure that Eriksen's airways stayed unobstructed when he was unconscious. Afterwards, he guided his teammates to cover Eriksen while he received medical treatment, and consoled Eriksen's wife Sabrina afterward. Eriksen was taken off the pitch on a stretcher and the match was suspended. Around an hour after the incident, UEFA and Danish Football Association officials confirmed from the Rigshospitalet that Eriksen had been stabilized and was awake. The match re-commenced later that evening, resulting in 1–0 victory for Finland. Despite the opening loss, Denmark went on to advance to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 losing to England in extra time. On 27 August 2021 Kjaer was awarded the UEFA President's Award together with the medical team that stabilized Eriksen at the Finland game. |
