Former Aberdeen striker Dean Windass has expressed his fear for the future following his stage two dementia diagnosis.
The 55-year-old, who played for 12 clubs during his 19-year professional career, was diagnosed last year.
The announcement was made public in January.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Windass said: “It scares me. I don’t know what the outcome’s going to be. Interview me in 10 years’ time and I might tell you a different story.
“There’s nothing I can do. You can’t roll back the years, so you’ve just got to deal with it as much as you can.
“Hopefully, in the next five or 10 years it doesn’t develop.
“It might do, but it might not. So, you get up in the morning and you live. You try to live your life as normal.”
‘I’m trying to help as many people as I can’
Windass, who scored more than 230 goals in a career spanning more than 700 games, believes his diagnosis is a direct result of repeatedly heading the ball.
He said: “If they’d said that in 10 years’ time you might have a shade of dementia. I’d go ‘well I’m not heading that ball then.’
“I wouldn’t have done that as much in training…(I’d) probably think twice.”
The Englishman hopes discussing his diagnosis can help raise awareness of dementia and get the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to increase its support to affected players and their families.
Windass said: “The one thing I love about myself is trying to help as many people as I can in any way, shape or form.
“The reason why we’ve done this [interview] is to help the families, because my family might need help in 10 or 15 years’ time. So I don’t want them to suffer as well.
“At this present time, if I can help or we can help people and push the PFA to help these people … that’s what we’re trying to do and trying to achieve.”
Conversation