Manchester United great Paddy Crerand says he would donate his brain to medical science to help studies into possible links between heading footballs and dementia.
Crerand - part of the famous United side that won the 1968 European Cup - spoke after new research revealed a ‘potential link between playing football and the development of degenerative brain pathologies in later life’.
University College London experts said a study found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that can cause dementia, in the brains of four ex-players.
The research looked at 14 retired footballers with dementia and six post-mortem examinations were carried out. All six showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease alongside the evidence of CTE found in the four cases.
The discovery has prompted widespread calls for more research and an investigation by the Football Association, which has been criticised for a perceived lack of action despite possible links between brain disease and heading footballs being a long-suspected issue in the sport.
Speaking about donating his brain Crerand, 77, who now works at Old Trafford as an MUTV pundit and lives in Sale , said: “I’m all for it if it can help make a difference, no question. How do you improve a situation like this?
"You’re never going to know how to improve it without more testing and research. At the end of the day, if (donating your brain) is going to make a difference - then do it.”
The issue has largely been brought to prominence after campaigning by the family of former England and West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle, who died aged 59 suffering from early onset dementia.
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An inquest into his death in 2002 found that repeatedly heading heavy leather footballs had contributed to trauma to his brain and his family said it was ‘obvious’ that his dementia was linked to his footballing career.
The ex-players involved in the university’s study, 12 of whom eventually died of advanced dementia, all began playing football and heading the ball when they were children or teenagers and continued for an average of 26 years.
The rate of CTE detected in the footballers’ brains was greater than the 12 per cent average found in a previous study which looked at 268 brains from the general population.
Previous studies have found evidence of CTE in the brains of contact sports players, notably boxers and American football players, but the university said it was the ‘first time CTE has been confirmed in a group of retired footballers.
Former Red Devils and Scotland midfielder Crerand, who was joined by England World Cup winner George Cohen in highlighting the issue, suggested all players of his era should donate their brains to research after their deaths. And he said the FA should have done more to help players who have suffered in later life.
“More knowledge and publicity about it may give people a kick up the backside to do something if they’re aware of what’s happening,” he said.