Aged 61, Scotsman Ian Alexander, a former professional defender who played in Bristol, England, has decided to make public his neurological illness caused by numerous head traumas during his career.
It all started on a construction site several years ago. Ian Alexander, a former Scottish professional player who played for Bristol, found himself completely lost after his lunch break. “I was going to the wrong room, it couldn’t continue,” he remembers in the columns of the Guardian. In May, the diagnosis was made.
The 61-year-old man suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This neurological disease affects some retired footballers, victims of repeated head trauma and concussions during their career. That of Ian Alexander lasted 13 years and ended in 1998. It unfortunately left him with fatal consequences.
“I just want to send a message”
At the time of diagnosis, doctors gave him between two and six years of life expectancy. After years of suffering and anguish, Ian Alexander nevertheless considers himself “lucky” to be fixed, even if his health has deteriorated further since. He joined a group of around 60 former footballers who took legal action against the FA.
His wish is to raise awareness of this disease: “I’m not thinking about money. I just want to send a message. About six months ago, I was in a pub with four or five former players. I told them talked about my problems and they said to me: “It’s weird, it happens to me too.” Ian Alexander is the second former British player to speak publicly about the disease after Colin Gibson, winner of the late 1982 UEFA Cup with Aston Villa.
