Nobby Stiles died in 2020 aged 78 with severe dementia after heading a football about 140,000 times in his career, a coroner has ruled at his inquest. The former Manchester United and 1966 World Cup‑winning midfielder was examined by neuropathology expert Dr Daniel Du Plessis, who said repeated heading caused chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CT E). Senior Coroner Alison Mulch recorded the cause of death as Alzheimer's disease contributed by CT E, another neurodegenerative condition and cerebrovascular disease.

Stiles was a tough‑tackling defensive midfielder, capped 28 times for England and playing nearly 400 matches for Manchester United. His son John recalled that heading the ball in training was “absolutely massive”, estimating his father headed the ball 40 times a day, five times a week over each 10‑month season. He said the family noticed his father forgetting things and repeating questions in his late 50s and early 60s, eventually selling his medals in 2010.

The family has campaigned for football authorities to do more to help ex‑players cope with injuries they claim were caused during their playing days. The coroner noted it was strange to have this conversation on the day of England’s World Cup semi‑final against Argentina.