Tributes have been paid to the previous Northern Ireland, Aston Villa and Southampton footballer, Chris Nicholl, who has died aged 77 after a battle with dementia.
Nicholl, who captained Villa to glory within the League Cup in 1977 and likewise managed Southampton, had been dwelling with continual traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which he put right down to mind harm brought on by repeatedly heading balls over his lengthy profession.
His dying was confirmed by a household assertion on his daughter Cathy’s Facebook account.
It mentioned: “It is with a heavy heart that we write this. Chris Nicholl (our dad) sadly passed away peacefully on Saturday evening in hospital.
“He fought a really lengthy battle with CTE, brought on by his dedication to soccer. Words cannot describe how a lot we’ll miss him.”
Nicholl made greater than 200 appearances for each Villa and Saints and performed 51 occasions for his nation, together with on the 1982 World Cup.
He returned to Southampton as supervisor in 1985, giving younger skills like Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace their first crew begins.
Shearer mentioned on X: “RIP Chris Nicholl. You believed in me and gave me my chance. Thank you.”
Le Tissier added: “I’ll always be eternally grateful to Chris for having the faith in me as a 17-year-old boy to give me my opportunity to prove I was good enough to be a professional footballer. Gone, but never forgotten #RIPChris.”
Nicholl’s most well-known objective was a 40-yard piledriver for Villa within the 1977 League Cup Final, as they beat Everton 3-2 in a second replay at Old Trafford.
In a collection of posts on the membership’s official X account, Villa mentioned they have been “deeply saddened” to study of his dying.
“A two-time promotion and League Cup winner, Chris Nicholl’s achievements in claret and blue will never be forgotten.
“Rest in peace, Chris.”
Walsall, who he also managed, said on X it was an “extremely unhappy time.”
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A statement on the Northern Irish FA’s X account said: “We are saddened to study of the passing of Chris Nicholl. He performed 51 occasions for us, together with the 1982 World Cup in Spain.”
In a 2017 BBC documentary, Nicholl told Shearer of his fears over the damage he had suffered during his playing career.
He said: “I’m brain-damaged from heading footballs. My reminiscence is in hassle.
“Everyone forgets regular things, where your keys are. But when you forget where you live, that’s different.
“I’ve had that for the final 4 or 5 years, it’s positively getting worse. It bothers me.”
A 2023 Swedish study found footballers are 50% more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population.
But goalkeepers – who rarely head the ball – had no increased risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia, “supporting the speculation that gentle head impacts sustained when heading the ball may clarify the elevated danger in outfield gamers,” the research concluded.
Source: information.sky.com”