Image Credit: The Express
By Lee Clow
02 November 2020 | News Story
It was revealed on Sunday 1st November 2020, the footballing legend Sir Bobby Charlton was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 83. The former England star’s wife allowed the tragic news to be announced as she wanted to help and warn others about the disease.
Charlton, who spent most of his playing career at Manchester United, won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford. Alongside his club side, Charlton racked up 106 England caps as well as 49 goals, once a record until recently.
The distressing news of Charlton comes a few months since the passing of his older brother, Jack Charlton, in July who also suffered from dementia as well as lymphoma. Charlton’s diagnoses also means that five members of the winning England 1966 World Cup team, being Nobby Stiles, Martin Peters Ray Wilson and the Charlton brothers, have had the disease or memory loss.
Following the announcement, fans were quick on all platforms of social media to send their wishes to the former Manchester United striker.
Manchester United were the first of many clubs to responded to the news with a statement saying: “Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.”
Former England striker now turned presenter, Gary Lineker, also showed his sympathies online with a short but eye-opening tweet. Lineker said: “Yet another hero of our 1966 World Cup winning team has been diagnosed with dementia. Perhaps the greatest of them all, @SirBobby. This is both very sad and deeply concerning.”
The concern of dementia in today’s world is continuing to grow and it is at a worrying rate, especially for professional sports stars. According to study, created in 2019 by Glasgow University, research saw that professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population. There has been backlash to this with many people wanting a change in football, such as the prevention of kids heading the ball at a young age as well as new regulations in place to deal with concussion injuries.
Despite this however, there are positives for people suffering from the disease and it is important they are highlighted. According to Watson, Parker & Swain (2015) people suffering with dementia is able to recall things from the past more clearly than recent memories. This is called ‘remanence’ and this is important for people suffering as they can gain a sense of competence, and confidence.
If you are concerned or want more information on dementia, there is a number of web pages online which offer support and information. These pages can be found in the links below:
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