Family of Celtic legend Billy McNeill launch fund to support people with dementia

The family of Celtic legend Billy McNeill have launched a fund to help people with dementia.

Lisbon Lions legend Billy, who led the team to their best ever season in 1966 - 67, died in April last year aged 79 years old.

The dad-of-five had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for nine years and spent the final two years of his life in a care home, where his wife Liz visited him every day.

Widow Liz, who was married to Billy for 52 years, would show her husband photographs of the historic European Cup win in 1967 in the hope it triggered his memories.

Lisbon Lions legend Billy, who led the team to their best ever season in 1966 - 67, died in April last year aged 79 years old. Picture: JPIMEDIA

Billy died on April 22, months before a study was published showing professional footballers have a five-fold risk of Alzheimer's Disease, sparking calls for headers to be banned in football for under-12s.

But the footballer's son, Martyn, believes old-fashioned footballs which soaked up water, and a lack of medical care as well as teams playing without substitutes, may all have contributed to his dad's illness.

Martyn said: "The big difference between the game now and then is the football.

"I remember Dad used to say when the ball got wet it would soak up the water and was akin to heading a medicine ball at times.

"To header that ball consistently, there must be some concussive effect.

"Heading is a big part of football.

"You can look at other techniques, lighter balls and so on but it's a big part of football.

"With modern football the medical back-up is also completely different to when my dad played.

"You were lucky if someone came on with a bucket of water and a sponge. They also didn't have substitutes, once you were on, you were on.

"Any developments in safeguarding players, from the age of 12 to professional players have to be looked at."

Liz added: "In the days when Billy played, we have pictures and they would have what looked like a big hangman's noose with the ball hanging down on the end of it.

"He would have to run and head it and people would throw balls at him."

The couple were married for 52 years, and met when Liz was working as a dancer.

Despite Billy's status as a sporting legend, they remained 'grounded', but sacrificed Easter and Christmas holidays due to the football season.

Liz said: "We were a normal family, we were grounded.

"And so were all the Lisbon Lions. Most of them came from big working-class families.

"When you were going about town people would stop and say, 'all right, big man?'.

"I suppose the difference was we didn't have Easter holidays or Christmas holidays because that's when all the football is on. A couple of weeks in the summer maybe.

"If someone asked the two oldest girls, 'is your dad Billy McNeill?', they would say, 'no, who's he?'."

When the grandfather-of-eight became ill, Billy and Liz moved from their home in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, to a flat in Glasgow's Southside.

Liz tried to shield her husband from the devastating diagnosis.

She said: "He did say to me one day, 'is there something wrong with me? I can't remember things'.

"And I said to him, 'I can't remember things either'.

"I didn't want to say anything to him because I think if you tell someone something they worry more about it, so why would I do that?

"It was a shock. You don't expect something like that to come to your doorstep.

"As you get older you forget things, so in the beginning, I didn't quite catch on.

"I'd say get the hoover and he would say, 'where is the car?' It was just wee things like that.

"So we got the tests done and it was diagnosed.

"He just gradually went downhill. In the latter years he couldn't speak which was difficult."

But she praised the care home which looked after her husband.

Liz said: "I don't think it needs to be the poshest care home. As long as they care.

"You want your loved one to be loved by them. It was good that I could still give him his breakfast."

Despite the warnings about the health risks to footballers, Liz said she doubted whether it would have changed Billy's decision about playing football.

She said: "You can't put an old head on young shoulders.

"If I had said to Billy years and years ago, do you think this is the right thing to do?

"Football was his life. It's what he did."