Gerd Muller Battling Dementia
Gerd Müller is a legend of European football. During his prime, he was a prolific striker renowned for clinical finishing and is often regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
During his time at Bayern Munich, he scored 563 goals in 605 appearances. He won all the trophies on offer at the time, including four Bundesliga’s and three European Cups.
Like many of the great players of that era, Muller also spent time in America where he played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
The German retired in 1982 and quickly fell into a slump as he struggled with alcoholism. His former teammates at Bayern Munich managed to convince him to go through alcohol rehabilitation. When he emerged from this, he got a job coaching Bayern Munich’s reserve side.
Muller’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
In October 2015, the sad news about Muller’s diagnosis was revealed. He had been under professional care, with the support of his family since February 2015.
In November 2020, Muller’s wife revealed the heartbreaking truth behind her husband’s illness. Uschi Muller told German outlet Bild: “He has always been a fighter, has always been brave, all his life. He is now too. Gerd sleeps towards its end. He has closed his eyes, is dozing, only rarely opens his mouth, and is given pureed food.”
Former Footballers With Dementia
Muller is one of many former players that have been diagnosed with the condition. In October 2020, former Manchester United legend sadly Nobby Stiles died after a long battle with dementia. A few weeks after his passing, his family spoke with the BBC and said must ‘football must address the scandal of dementia affecting former players.’
Another member of those successful United and England sides of the 60s has also been diagnosed. Sir Bobby Charlton is the fifth member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team to suffer from the debilitating neurological condition.
There has been some Scientific research looking at the link between playing football and dementia. Former West Brom player Jeff Astle died in 2002 at the age of 59. Twelve years later, an autopsy on his brain uncovered the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the neurodegenerative disease once known as dementia pugilistica.
A further small study was conducted in early 2017 was among the first to show a greater risk of dementia in professional footballers. Researchers studied the brains of former footballers with memory problems. The study found that all had signs of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it was noted that footballers without memory problems were not studied.
To find out more read this story on the Alzheimer’s Society website. –
Watch: Alan Shearer: Dementia, Football and Me
Alan Shearer: Dementia, Football and Me was a 2017 documentary in which the former England international footballer Alan Shearer investigated the potentially devastating link between football and dementia.
Shearer discussed the issue with footballing legends past and present. The former England captain also investigated Britain’s latest scientific research and turned himself over to science before taking his findings to the football authorities.
