Former Premier League star Dean Windass, 55, opens up on his dementia diagnosis and reveals how he’s taking it ‘a day at a time’

Dean Windass has revealed he has been diagnosed with stage two dementia.

The former striker, now 55, told Mail Sport he was given the devastating news 12 months ago and is now taking things ‘a day at a time’.

On a day when a group of high-profile former players launched a campaign calling on the Premier League, FA and PFA to set up a fund to help with care costs for former players amid a surging crisis, the Hull City legend spoke out about his situation to raise awareness of the cause. 

‘I was asked if, as an ex-player, I would be prepared to go for a scan,’ explained Windass. 

‘The conversation I had was that there was nothing to worry about at this stage, but the scan has come back as mild grade two dementia. Immediately, I was like, “Oh f***, what does that mean?”.’

A year has now passed but Windass, who scored 141 goals in a career spanning close to 20 years for clubs including Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Bradford, admits he is still struggling to come to terms with the news.

Windass, a prolific striker during his playing days, is best remembered for his remarkable volley in Hull City ‘s 2008 Championship play-off final against Bristol City

But he is coming forward to help Football Families For Justice, a group backed by Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton, John Stiles — son of World Cup winner Nobby — and the mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram.

They will propose an amendment to the Football Governance Bill in the spring, which would force the game’s authorities to fund care home costs for players, who are more than three-and-a-half times more likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the general public.