Ex-Celtic striker Andy Payton reveals dementia battle aged 57

Daily Record

04-05-2025

Andy Payton said a lot of his brain is badly damaged and now relies heavily on his partner.
Former Celtic striker Andy Payton has revealed he is living with early onset dementia at the age of 57.
The retired footballer, who played for the Parkhead club in the 1990s, says he was left stunned by the diagnosis and believes years of heading footballs is to blame.
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He now relies heavily on his partner to manage his day-to-day life, reports the Sun.
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Speaking candidly, Payton said: 'I was just experiencing the usual symptoms – forgetfulness, loss of memory and headaches – but I was not expecting to have early-onset dementia. It's properly frightening, you just don't know what's coming down the line.
'My partner more or less manages my day-to-day life, so I know exactly what I'm doing and where I need to be so I don't forget anything.'
Following a brain scan, Payton was told by a neurologist that 27 of the 68 tracts in his brain were damaged. He said: 'That's half the brain. The neurologist said it's from football – there's no other thing it can be.'
The former forward recalled endless sessions of heading drills during his playing days, estimating he may have headed the ball over 10,000 times. 'It was just header, header, bang, bang, bang. We'd do it every day, sometimes for an hour and a half,' he said.
Now, he struggles to remember what he ate just an hour before.
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His fate echoes those of other Celtic greats, including Lisbon Lions Billy McNeill, Bertie Auld and Stevie Chalmers – all of whom were diagnosed with dementia before their deaths.
In Scotland, families and campaigners have raised serious concerns about the lack of financial support for ex-players battling the condition, especially when compared with England, where a £1.5million fund using Premier League cash is helping families.
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Douglas McCluskey, of the Battle Against Dementia charity, has been campaigning for better support north of the Border alongside the family of Celtic legend Billy McNeill. Their Billy Against Dementia fund has raised tens of thousands of pounds through raffles, T-shirts, golf tournaments and dinners.
He said: 'We need the football authorities to step up. These men gave everything for the game – the game needs to give something back.'