Our chronicle of some of the players affected by dementia includes several members of England’s 1966
World Cup squad
Jeff Astle (1942-2002) The former West Bromwich Albion and
England forward died in January 2002, aged 59. Later that year an inquest ruled that Astle’s death was the result of an industrial disease resulting from heading footballs. The verdict was the first of its kind on a professional sportsman in the
UK.
Peter Bonetti (1941-2020) The former
Chelsea and England goalkeeper died in April, aged 78. Known as “The Cat” because of his agility, Bonetti, who made 729 appearances for Chelsea across two spells and represented his country at the 1970 World Cup, had Alzheimer’s for a long time. He was a member of England’s 1966 World Cup squad.