England great Nobby Stiles died with a brain condition linked to repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has concluded at his inquest. The former Manchester United midfielder, who was 78 when he died in 2020, had severe dementia and was found to have headed the ball about 140,000 times over the course of his career, the court heard.
Senior Coroner Alison Mulch recorded the cause of death as Alzheimer’s disease, with high-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, listed as a contributing factor. Other conditions, including another neurodegenerative disease and cerebrovascular disease, were also cited. Neuropathology expert Dr Daniel Du Plessis told Stockport Coroners’ Court he was convinced that Stiles’ repeated heading had caused the CTE.
Stiles, born in Collyhurst, Manchester in 1942, was a hard-tackling defensive midfielder who won 28 England caps and was part of the team that lifted the 1966 World Cup. He also made nearly 400 appearances for Manchester United. Before his death in a care home on 30 October 2020, he had been living in Stretford, Greater Manchester, and had become bed-bound because of dementia.
His son, John Stiles, told the inquest that heading in training was a major part of the game in his father’s era, estimating that he may have headed the ball 40 times a day, five days a week across a 10-month season. He said the family began noticing memory problems in Stiles’ late 50s and early 60s, including repeated questions and forgetfulness. By 2010, his health had declined significantly, and he decided to sell his medals. The family has since campaigned for football authorities to do more for former players affected by injuries sustained during their careers.
Source: bbc.co.uk
