[ad_1]
Sir Bobby Charlton, considered the greatest footballer in the history of England, has been diagnosed with dementia.
The 83-year-old, who was England and Manchester United’s top scorer until recently, has the disease, the Telegraph said, along with his wife, Lady Norma, happy that his condition is made public to help others with dementia.
Charlton won 106 games for England and was a key member of the 1966 World Cup triumph, while in his club career he won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup with United over 17 years in Old Trafford, where he remains on the board of directors. In a statement, the club said: “Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has affected Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.”
Charlton’s older brother Jack died aged 85 in July after a battle with dementia and lymphoma, and three other members of England’s 1966 World Cup triumphant team were also diagnosed with dementia o memory loss.
On Friday, Charlton’s United teammate Nobby Stiles died after a prolonged stint with dementia and prostate cancer, and Martin Peters and Ray Wilson previously passed away in 2019 and 2018 respectively after having Alzheimer’s disease. A study last year found that former footballers were 3.5 times more likely to develop dementia.
Gary Lineker, whose 48 goals for England rank him one behind Sir Bobby’s 49 as the second top scorer in history, wrote on Twitter: “Another hero of our 1966 World Cup winning team has been diagnosed with dementia. . Perhaps the greatest of them all, Sir Bobby. This is very sad and deeply disturbing. “
Last year’s study on dementia was commissioned by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers Association and led by consultant neuropathologist Dr. Willie Stewart of the University of Glasgow. He evaluated the medical records of 7,676 men who played professional soccer between 1900 and 1976, and his record was compared with more than 23,000 individuals in the general population.
The study findings came 17 years after former England and West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 with what a coroner described as an “industrial injury.” Astle’s daughter, Dawn, responded to the study’s findings by saying that “these players who have suffered from dementia should not be a statistic, they should never be forgotten.”
