Hurst reveals concerns over dementia cases

SIR Geoff Hurst admits the alarming number of former England team-mates afflicted by dementia has led to his own fears of suffering with the illness.

World Cup winners Ray Wilson, Martin Peters, Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles have died with the neurological disease during the past three years, while Sir Bobby Charlton has recently been diagnosed.

Hurst is bidding to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society by leading a campaign to have the entire 1966 World Cup final – in which he memorably scored a hat-trick – transformed into colour for the first time.

The 78-year-old previously viewed life in older age as pot luck but has become deeply concerned by growing links between football and dementia. “Prior to all of this happening, I’ve always felt that when you get to this sort of age life is always a bit of a lottery,” Hurst said.

“That has always been my genuine honest feeling of how I felt of people living to this age.

“But more recently when there has been a lot more focus on it and so many players in my team, it does cross your mind to an extent that it could happen (to me).

“It’s not something that, up until more recently, I focused on. I just felt life’s a lottery and you get what comes.

“More research is needed between the links between heading footballs and dementia. But I’ve also felt that it seemed to be a high proportion of people in my immediate team, compared with the guy in the street.”