Gary Lineker has revealed he might be tested for dementia after admitting concern surrounding the hyperlink between footballers and the syndrome.
The Match of the Day host, 60, has revealed conversations have taken place with former professionals and BBC Sport colleagues Alan Shearer and Ian Wright.
It follows latest analysis that means ex-footballers are 3.5 instances extra seemingly to die from the sickness than the overall inhabitants.
Lineker and the game as an entire has began to take the difficulty extra severely after England’s 1966 World Cup heroes Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton, Martin Peters and Ray Wilson died from dementia.
“I’ve had conversations with Alan Shearer and Ian Wright and others concerning the fear that come 10, 15 years that it would occur to one in every of us. The odds counsel that it in all probability will,” mentioned the previous England and Tottenham striker.
“I’ve common well being checks, together with the mind. So far all the pieces is OK. I’ll have my triannual take a look at this summer season and ask if there’s something they will set up across the mind, as a result of I don’t see how, given the circumstances any footballer wouldn’t be nervous about it.”
Bobby Charlton was identified with the illness final 12 months and former Leeds United defender Gordon McQueen confirmed he had it final week.
Lineker has additionally mentioned limiting heading within the sport to assist scale back the chance of mind harm for gamers.
“Do you need to take heading out of the sport? No I don’t assume so, however you may take heading out of coaching, or limit it massively,” Lineker added.
“If I had identified what I do know now, I might have actually restricted the quantity of heading I did.
“The period of the 1966 gamers has made us actually conscious of this.”
Discussion about this post