Dear Sir, – Brian O’Brien states that heading the older style footballs contributed to a greater risk of dementia and may have contributed to Bobby Charlton’s illness and recent death (Letters, October 24th).
What is remarkable about Charlton’s long and successful career was that he almost never headed a ball (his glancing headed goal in the 1968 European Cup final being a rare exception).
He was gifted with the balance of a ballet dancer allied with the strength of a middleweight boxer. His natural timing instincts enabled him to get to the ball without having to compete for it in the air. Also, unlike his brother Jack, he wasn’t a defender making repeated headed clearances nor, like his colleague Denis Law, a striker putting his head into dangerous areas.
Rather than associating Bobby Charlton with football-related dementia, it would be more relevant to study how such a great player could be a true master of a football without the need to head it. Should the link between heading and dementia be proved then his style of play will serve as a model for when heading is subsequently banned. – Yours, etc,
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KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.