George Cohen not only helped lead the 1966 side on the pitch but also pioneered calls for research into dementia after the disease struck nearly half of the England teammates he walked out with for that momentous final against West Germany.
The 83-year-old, whose death was announced on Friday, was England’s vice-captain for the tournament and one of several survivors of the 1966 squad to demand urgent investigations into whether footballers were at increased risk of neurodegenerative disease due to repeated heading of the ball.
Sir Bobby Charlton, who is now one of only two remaining members of the team alongside Sir Geoff Hurst, is known to have been diagnosed with dementia. A further four now-deceased 1966 players – Jack Charlton, Martin Peters, Ray Wilson and Nobby Stiles – also had the condition, as did the team manager, Sir Alf Ramsey.
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Mr Cohen, who was a survivor of bowel cancer, was acutely aware of the dangers posed to the players of his and subsequent eras by dementia. In 2017, he said he and his wife, Daphne, would be happy for him to leave his brain to medical science to further research into the disease and its effects on footballers. Sir Geoff has made a similar pledge.
Later, Mr Cohen called for help for affected players after a pioneering study, funded by the Football Association, found that former footballers are up to three and a half times more likely than the rest of the population to develop dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease.
The study found an increased risk to footballers across a number of neurodegenerative conditions, but establishing a direct link with damage caused by heading the ball, especially the heavy leather footballs of previous eras, requires further study.
Speaking three years ago, Mr Cohen told The Mirror: “There are a lot of unanswered questions and I think this needs to be fully investigated. We need more information.”
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The former England and Fulham defender said he felt the diagnosis of his former 1966 teammates and wider findings on dementia would be the “tip of the iceberg” for players succumbing to the cruel condition.
He said: “I imagine there will be many more players from that era. We had no idea, we were just doing our jobs and heading the ball. I never thought my old teammates would have suffered like they have. We didn’t understand in those days but we see it now the years have gone on.”
Mr Cohen is one of several players who said they were happy to donate their brains after death if it would help research to pinpoint the mechanisms putting footballers at increased risk. He once said: “Whatever will help, I mean why not? It’s no use to me anymore at that stage.”
The player added that he would not be surprised if heading were implicated in the development of brain disease. He said: “Think of those long, defensive headers – you put your neck and back into it all – but it’s the head that takes the punishment.”
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