The family of Mick Lyons have confirmed that the Everton great has been diagnosed with dementia.
Lyons captained Everton and played for the club 473 times as a defender and is regarded as a Goodison great by supporters. The 70-year-old’s family have revealed he was diagnosed last year, after they became concerned around Christmas 2019.
Lyons’ family have confirmed that he is in the early stages of his diagnosis and is still living life to its fullest in Australia. However, the Blues legend, despite being able to talk about his time at the club, often struggles with his short-term memory.
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“He forgets people and short-term stuff,” Lyons’ daughter, Francesca, told The Telegraph. “I first noticed when people would come up to him and he didn't remember who they were.
“He has been living in Australia where my brother Michael is doing a brilliant job helping him. At the beginning, I wondered if it was just a case of having been away.
“Then I became aware of the issue in football. He says it’s from heading the ball but he remembers everything from years back - football matches and scores.”
Before she continued: “He had scans - the professor said it was repeated heading of the ball. “They can see brain damage from the impact.
“He’s still a big, strong, fit man. He still likes to call himself an athlete and has his sense of humour - his memory is just not the best. He’s got a lovely life out there but I’m concerned about the future.”
A defender by trade, Lyons would regularly be pushed forward for the final 10 minutes of games when the Blues were in search of a goal. Once quoted as saying he would 'run through a brick wall for Everton', those words epitomised the attitude of a player who led by example.
“It’s prayers every time we play,” Lyons said on his love for the club, who he still watches regularly despite the early morning kick-off times. “Everton was my team from the age of eight - me, my brother and my dad had season tickets for the paddock. We’d get the 44D bus to Everton’s ground.
“I was just very lucky. Everton were my club, it was an honour to captain them. A dream come true. I felt seven foot tall and we had a great bunch of lads. Then I went to Sheffield Wednesday. Later on I came back and coached at Everton.”
On being a brave player, Lyons continued: “I loved heading the ball - I’d go up for all the corners. I do obviously think the more you headed the ball, the more likely you were to forget things. And some opposition teams used to soak the ball on purpose.
“When you headed it, it was thud, thud, thud. I used to get quite a few stitches in the face through heading. My memory has not been fantastic over the years.
“I think, ‘what did I do then?’ but I just get through OK. I don't worry at all about it. To me, it was part of the job.”
He then added: “We used to do lots in training - but it is part of the game that we love. There’s nothing better than seeing the wingers going down the line and crossing it and the centre-forward heading it into the top corner. That’s excitement. That’s what the game is all about. I just loved playing football, especially for Everton Football Club.”
Lyons' announcement comes a day after the PFA launched an initiative to learn the full extent of the dementia problem in English football, with the players' union calling for families to come forward. Dawn Astle, the daughter of West Bromwich Albion legend Jeff Astle, has supported Lyons’ daughter, Francesca, since her dad's diagnosis, and she still can't get over just how much Everton supporters still care for her father.
She said: “Dawn is doing wonderful work. I feel sad knowing the situation now but it’s also nice to know that so many fans still care. I sometimes put a picture of my dad on Twitter. He is obviously still very popular which makes me really proud.”
