Former Premier League footballer, Dean Windass, has been diagnosed with dementia.
The former striker was best known for his spells at Middlesborough, Bradford City and Hull City in the Premier League and the Championship.
Former Manchester United defender David May, who played for the club between 1994 and 2003, revealed the heartbreaking news on BBC Breakfast today, before clarifying his comments on X this afternoon (10 January).
One user noted that May revealed that Windass has stage two dementia, and believed that the ‘information that was not in the public domain’.
May responded, writing: “FYI i spoke to @DWindass10 last night and asked his permission, he was 100% behind me mentioning that he had been diagnosed with stage 2 dementia, Deano has just done an article for a national newspaper which will be published soon.. share the love.”
Originally speaking about the diagnosis on TV, May revealed: “I only spoke to Dean Windass yesterday, ex-professional footballer. I asked Deano how he is. He’s been diagnosed with Stage 2 dementia.
“He’s the same age as me and he’s worried sick of how it’s going to be in the future for him,” he said.
FYI i spoke to @DWindass10 last night and asked his permission, he was 100% behind me mentioning that he had been diagnosed with stage 2 dementia, Deano has just done an article for a national newspaper which will be published soon.. share the love ❤️ https://t.co/jr5crvoJGm
— David May (@DavidMay04) January 10, 2025
After the announcement, Windass took to social media to share a video of him singing in his car, captioned: “Just got to keep smiling and trying to help people.”
Windass played for nine clubs over a two-decade long career, though he is best known for playing for hometown club Hull City from 1991-1996, and then again from 2006-2009.
In that latter spell, the striker scored the most memorable goal of his career, netting a sumptuous first-time volley in the Championship play-off final against Bristol City in 2009.
The game ended 1-0 to Hull, meaning that his boyhood club was promoted to the Premier League for the first time in its 104 year history.
This goal is among 233 others, in a career that consisted of over 730 professional appearances.
Windass’ diagnosis brings more attention to the growing number of former footballers that go on to suffer from neurodegenerative diseases.
Scientific research suggests that repetitive head impacts sustaining while playing professional football can increase the risk of developing conditions such as dementia, which has resulted in pro leagues putting stricter measures in place for current footballers.
Common behaviours of those with stage two dementia include memory lapses, such as misplacing everyday items or forgetting names.
They can be the signs of a cognitive decline.
