Gordon McQueen attributed dementia to ball heading – Hayley McQueen

“He didn’t really know what year it was or what day it was,” Hayley said.

“He was very active, trying to do crossword puzzles and watch football. He lost the ability to write.

“He couldn’t make a cup of tea. He was confused about what had happened and where. He kept saying, ‘There’s something not right in my head.'”

“He used to get confused about things. He was never confused about people, he had an amazing memory of the past.

“My father had more of a withdrawn nature. He was the center of attention, but (with dementia) he had to be asked a question to get him to talk.”

Asked by Michael Rawlinson KC, who represents the McQueen family, how her father scored his goals, Hayley said: “Mainly with his head, from a free kick.”

Professor Willie Stewart, a consultant at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow who examined McQueen’s brain after his death, described how the brain’s membrane appeared torn and that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was present in various places.

“Gordon technically fell into the lower stage of the disease, even though he was on the threshold of the higher stage,” he said.

Professor Stewart said the symptoms of CTE were cognitive decline and neurobehavioral change, and they “cannot be explained by another condition – they must be progressive”.

He said the symptoms were “typical in individuals with long careers, such as professional footballers and rugby players.”

Asked whether there was a causal relationship between CTE and repetitive head injury, he said: “The answer to that is yes.”

Chief coroner John Heath said an autopsy found pneumonia in McQueen’s right lung, mixed vascular dementia and CTE.

“Players and goalkeepers who did not head the ball had a risk equivalent to the general population, whereas in outfield positions, especially defenders, the risk was higher,” said Professor Stewart, who conducted a 2021 study into whether certain on-field positions were more associated with neurodegenerative diseases than others.

The investigation is ongoing.