Solbakken's heart-stopping near-death experience 25 years ago was a traumatic event that would stay with him and his family forever.
The incident occurred when Solbakken, who was 33 years old at the time, suffered a heart attack during a training session with Danish giants Copenhagen. Club doctor Frank Odgaard rushed to his side and administered a cardiac massage until an ambulance arrived. Despite being clinically dead for seven minutes, Solbakken was revived and placed on a life-support machine for 26 hours before regaining consciousness.
It was later revealed that Solbakken was born with a heart defect, which was the cause of the heart attack. He was fitted with a pacemaker, which he still wears to this day. Following the incident, Solbakken announced his retirement from football, citing the severity of the experience.
Solbakken remembers nothing about the events of March 13, saying it was as if the lights went out. His wife and family were deeply affected by the incident, with his wife unable to talk about it even years later. Solbakken's parents also flew to Denmark to be with him, and his mother reportedly started planning his funeral.
Solbakken went on to pursue a career in coaching, but his health issues continued. During his first spell as Copenhagen manager in 2009, his heart stopped again due to a malfunctioning pacemaker. He was fortunate to have been wearing the device, which saved his life.
More recently, Solbakken experienced another scare when his pacemaker started vibrating during a 2026 World Cup interview. It was later discovered that a journalist's microphone had inadvertently interfered with the device. Despite this, Solbakken remains calm and has no concerns about his health.
