Six dementia early warning signs as 55-year-old ex-Premier League player diagnosed

Former Premier League footballer Dean Windass revealed this week that he has been diagnosed with Stage Two dementia.

Windass, who enjoyed a 20-year career for clubs such as Hull City, Middlesbrough and Aberdeen, scored his last Premier League goal aged 39. He announced his retirement in October 2009 - just 15 years before being diagnosed with dementia 12 months ago.

The former striker, now 55, has explained that he forgets names and things his partner tells him, and it was after he turned to John Stiles - the son of England 1966 World Cup hero Nobby Stiles - that he went to get his scans. Stiles died in 2020, aged 78, after living with dementia for a number of years, while his son has continued to fight for change in football.

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Windass’ diagnosis was first relayed with his permission by former Manchester United defender David May on BBC Breakfast this week, who said: “I spoke to Deano [Windass] and he’s worried sick about how it is going to be in the future for him." While he has struggled to process the information, he hopes that speaking publicly about his situation will help raise awareness.

According to the NHS website, dementia refers to the collection of symptoms that result from damage to the brain, caused by different diseases such as Alzheimer’s. There are six common early symptoms that may appear some time before a dementia diagnosis. They are:

• Memory loss

• Difficulty concentrating

• Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping

• Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word

• Being confused about time and place

• Mood changes

The above symptoms are often mild to begin with and very gradually get worse. Dementia is not a natural part of ageing and speaking to a GP as soon as possible is important if worried about memory problems.

Dad of two Windass, who scored 234 goals at club level, has no doubt over the cause of his dementia, telling The Daily Mail: “I’ve been heading footballs for a job. Not in the games but in training. Crossing and finishing drills. They asked me how many times I’d headed the ball in 20 years. Bloody hell! Thousands and thousands of times."

After having his CT scan, Windass received the results on a Zoom call. He explained: “The conversation I had was that there was nothing to worry about at this stage but the scan has come back as mild grade two dementia. Immediately, I was like ‘oh f***, what does that mean?’

“I don’t know how it will affect my life in the years to come. I do forget names. I don’t know what’s around the corner. I live day to day."

Windass also told the Mirror that he chose to speak out about his diagnosis in order to help others. He said: “My phone has gone mad because everyone thinks I'm dying. I’m not dying. I’m all right.

"My son text to ask if I was okay. I don’t know what’s going to happen in five years or tomorrow. I just get on with it."