Sir Bobby Charlton

[Herts Clarets]

Just reading that he has been diagnosed with dementia. Terribly sad to read this. Before my time but what I have seen of him, he was a hell of a player with a thunderbolt of a shot.

BBC News - Sir Bobby Charlton: England World Cup winner diagnosed with dementia
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54770216

[JohnMac]

Sad news, a great player but a greater man.

[huw.Y.WattfromWare]

Sad news. A dreadful disease and as people live longer it will affect more until they find the cure. Even worse is the curse of the family left with the shell of the person they once knew.
Bless em all.

[Stayingup]

Yes sad news. Once had a brew with him in a galley on a Jumbo jet. Smashing bloke.
I have recently read that a cure for this is almost ready. Hope so soon.

[jrgbfc]

Amazing how many ex footballers seem to get this horrible disease. Surely has to be linked to heading the old style footballs?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Very sad. Especially in the year his brother passed. He seems to have been the same age for years. He looks the same now as 1966.

[Taffy on the wing]

Probably my favorite player ever........sad news.
Very talented and a Gentleman too!

[Boss Hogg]

Not convinced it’s more common in ex footballers than anyone else. Dreadful illness that’s hard and so upsetting for the families it leaves in its wake.

[yTib]

Not convinced it’s more common in ex footballers than anyone else. Dreadful illness that’s hard and so upsetting for the families it leaves in its wake.

read the link in the op and the science would suggest otherwise. don't forget those footballs were much heavier in those days and when sodden wet must've been like heading a tree.

[claretsintown]

Sad news . I was sat in a chippy in alderley edge one day minding my own business when this guy sat at the table next to me . I looked and looked again couldn't believe my eyes Sir Bobby himself . He saw me looking and asked if I recommended the fish I've never been so lost for words. Very sad

[mdd2]

Not convinced it’s more common in ex footballers than anyone else. Dreadful illness that’s hard and so upsetting for the families it leaves in its wake.

Posted on this on the Nobby Stiles thread
ClaretTony wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2020 3:58 pm
Suffered badly with dementia for many years - I've had a dear friend pass away today after suffering similarly.

RIP Nobby
Said to be 3.5 times more common in ex professional footballers and four of the seven WC team have gone suffering with it, Stiles aged 78, Charlton, 85, Peters, 76, Wilson 83, whilst Ball was only 61 and had heart attack Moore from cancer 51, Banks 81, cancer. Hunt 82 Hurst is 88 I think, Cohen 81 and Sir Robert 83 and no idea about their health. Pretty grim stats.

CT reminded me after that post that Hurst is only 78 not 88. below is a precise of the Scottish study

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare mortality from neurodegenerative disease among 7676 former professional soccer players (identified from databases of Scottish players) with that among 23,028 controls from the general population who were matched to the players on the basis of sex, age, and degree of social deprivation. Causes of death were determined from death certificates. Data on medications dispensed for the treatment of dementia in the two cohorts were also compared. Prescription information was obtained from the national Prescribing Information System.

RESULTS
Over a median of 18 years, 1180 former soccer players (15.4%) and 3807 controls (16.5%) died. All-cause mortality was lower among former players than among controls up to the age of 70 years and was higher thereafter. Mortality from ischemic heart disease was lower among former players than among controls (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.97; P=0.02), as was mortality from lung cancer (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.70; P<0.001). Mortality with neurodegenerative disease listed as the primary cause was 1.7% among former soccer players and 0.5% among controls (subhazard ratio [the hazard ratio adjusted for competing risks of death from ischemic heart disease and death from any cancer], 3.45; 95% CI, 2.11 to 5.62; P<0.001). Among former players, mortality with neurodegenerative disease listed as the primary or a contributory cause on the death certificate varied according to disease subtype and was highest among those with Alzheimer’s disease (hazard ratio [former players vs. controls], 5.07; 95% CI, 2.92 to 8.82; P<0.001) and lowest among those with Parkinson’s disease (hazard ratio, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.17 to 3.96; P=0.01). Dementia-related medications were prescribed more frequently to former players than to controls (odds ratio, 4.90; 95% CI, 3.81 to 6.31; P<0.001). Mortality with neurodegenerative disease listed as the primary or a contributory cause did not differ significantly between goalkeepers and outfield players (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.24; P=0.24), but dementia-related medications were prescribed less frequently to goalkeepers (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.89; P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS
In this retrospective epidemiologic analysis, mortality from neurodegenerative disease was higher and mortality from other common diseases lower among former Scottish professional soccer players than among matched controls. Dementia-related medications were prescribed more frequently to former players than to controls. These observations need to be confirmed in prospective matched-cohort studies. (Funded by the Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association.)

And to that I added
Of course as we all die, if you have less chance of dying from vascular disease and lung cancer, something else has to get you.

[ClaretTony]

Not convinced it’s more common in ex footballers than anyone else. Dreadful illness that’s hard and so upsetting for the families it leaves in its wake.

Me neither and I’ve seen too many people suffer who had never been near a football. The thing is, when it’s a footballer, it’s made very public.

Horrible for any family to deal with as I and many others do.

[mdd2]

Well to rebalance some scepticism as to the possibility and I would now say probability that professional footballers are at risk of getting dementia, 2% of people 65-69 have dementia rising to 20% of those aged 85-89-so whilst proving nothing having 5 of 9 aged 76-85 with dementia in the World Cup final 11 from 1966 (and I have excluded Bobby Moore and Alan Ball who died at 51 and 61 years of age) is a tad on the high side.

[ashtonlongsider]

More really sad news. Probably our greatest ever English footballer. Certainly in my lifetime. I’ve been fortunate to see BC play on many occasions. The most graceful of movement I’ve witnessed and when he struck a football it certainly moved. I suppose it’s fair to say that the one thing lacking from his game was that he wasn’t a prolific header of the ball. Thoughts are with Bobby and his family.

[conyoviejo]

Sad news indeed,at least he's reached a good age before getting it. My mate had it at 55.. Phookin horrible illness wouldn't wish it on anybody.

[ClaretTony]

Sad news indeed,at least he's reached a good age before getting it. My mate had it at 55.. Phookin horrible illness wouldn't wish it on anybody.

My dad started before he reached 60 and eventually died at 67. The last two years in particular were so difficult to deal with. My mate Brian, who I sat next to on the Turf, was just 59 when he died.

[conyoviejo]

My dad started before he reached 60 and eventually died at 67. The last two years in particular were so difficult to deal with. My mate Brian, who I sat next to on the Turf, was just 59 when he died.

Totally agree Tony.To see somebody like my friend who used to run marathons and was a manager go from being somebody who was so outgoing to being spoon fed ,wearing nappies, unable to communicate etc was horrendous .. At least he didn't become violent as some people do.Very sad indeed.

[ClaretTony]

Totally agree Tony.To see somebody like my friend who used to run marathons and was a manager go from being somebody who was so outgoing to being spoon fed ,wearing nappies, unable to communicate etc was horrendous .. At least he didn't become violent as some people do.Very sad indeed.

That was the one saving grace with my dad that we never saw any sign of violence or even aggression although I know it’s something that does happen often.

[Herts Clarets]

My dad started before he reached 60 and eventually died at 67. The last two years in particular were so difficult to deal with. My mate Brian, who I sat next to on the Turf, was just 59 when he died.

Is that Box Car? I never knew he was only 59 when he died.

[ClaretTony]

Is that Box Car? I never knew he was only 59 when he died.

It was. He died on 8th Sep 2007 which just happened to be my dad’s birthday. He’d have been 60 in the November. It’s just no age at all and to see him in the last 12 months of his life was so difficult for those of us who visited him in the nursing home.

[Cirrus_Minor]

I know from personal experience about how terrible it is for a family member to have dementia. Very sad to hear that Bobby Charlton has this terrible disease, what a wonderful player, gentleman and credit to football.

[huw.Y.WattfromWare]

Amazing how many ex footballers seem to get this horrible disease. Surely has to be linked to heading the old style footballs?

This is the current thinking. I’m more inclined to believe it’s elbows.

[Buxtonclaret]

Awful news.
Sir Bobby was an outstanding footballer I've bee lucky enough to see play a good few times.
He is, and always will be, an outstanding man.
As has been stated above, this is an awful disease. As much for it's victims family and friends.
He gets my best wishes every time.

[tiger76]

Horrible news to hear about Sir Bobby, it's not been a great year for the legends of 66, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter & Nobby Stiles passing away, and now this dreadful news about Bobby, I had a relative who had vascular dementia, and their personality changed little by little each day, it's a horrible thing to witness, and to echo the thoughts of others let's hope that a cure can be found ASAP, if not to cure the disease, then to at least slow the effects that this awful illness has.

[Wile E Coyote]

Bobby Charlton is just such a name in football, has been for decades, not just in England, but everywhere the game is played.
regardless of club affinities, he is genuinely legendary. We never really get used to such horrible news, we tell ourselves its commonplace, but it affects us in ways that are difficult to express.

[DCWat]

I met him a couple of times. Once as a nipper at the Bobby Charlton soccer school that was run near me and more recently at Manchester airport. He came across as a lovely bloke.

I remember seeing him on TV a couple of years back and thinking how much he appeared to have deteriorated. The way he looked reminded me of my Gran when she was in the earlier stages of Parkinson’s.

Dementia is one of those diseases that appears to be far worse for those close to the sufferer, than the sufferer them self.

[RingoMcCartney]

The phrase "footballing legend" is thrown around far too cheaply these days.

Where Sir Bobby Charlton is concerned, it could not be more appropriate.

[Taffy on the wing]

read the link in the op and the science would suggest otherwise. don't forget those footballs were much heavier in those days and when sodden wet must've been like heading a tree.

It was like heading a medicine ball by the second half.

[mdd2]

I well remember the post match headaches and at times slight muzzy feelings in my head after heading the ball in the 50’s and 60’s
But there again a lot of the time the ball did not meet the forehead

[ClaretTony]

Bobby Charlton has, for some time, been seen shaking and I feared he might have Parkinson's Disease which leads to dementia. But whatever form he has it's very sad.

[mdd2]

Even essential tremor which I think he has is associated with an increase in dementia developing. Parkinson's can lead to dementia but a specific form of dementia produces Parkinson's like features and that is the rarer disease called Lewy Body Dementia