Gordon McQueen’s inquest has now taken place
13:21, 26 Jan 2026Updated 13:22, 26 Jan 2026
Gordon McQueen’s daughter, Anna, left, and Hayley(Image: PA)
The family of the late former Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen today called for ‘changes’ and education around heading footballs after a coroner said it ‘likely’ contributed to a brain injury said to have been a factor in his death.
Speaking after an inquest into his death his daughter, Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen, said he himself was ‘certain’ heading balls over the years had affected his brain.
Ms McQueen referenced the death in 2002 aged 59 of ex-West Bromwich Albion and England striker Jeff Astle. His death from dementia was caused by heading balls, a coroner ruled.
She said: “It should have been a turning point many, many years ago when we learnt the same thing with Jeff Astle and not much has happened between that time and now. Hopefully, my dad’s legacy will not just be what he gave football on the pitch but what we can learn from this and make sure that this really real, horrible problem isn’t a problem for future generations.
“They need the help from the footballing authorities, but there also needs to be changes too – potential legislation and just education.”
Gordon McQueen(Image: PA)
Ms McQueen said her father ‘absolutely loved everything about football’.
“But, ultimately, it took him in the end,” she said. “He went through an horrendous time towards the end of his life. He was certain himself it was possibly from heading footballs. Now it’s not just ‘could it be this, could it be that’. We know it is.
“I think my dad’s main message would be to warn others against the dangers of heading and protect future generations.”
McQueen, who played for both United and Leeds United during a 16-year career, died at his home in North Yorkshire in June 2023, aged 70.
The cause of death was pneumonia as he had become frail and bed-bound for months, the inquest in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, heard earlier this month. That frailty was due to a combination of vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), coroner Jon Heath said.
He became a TV pundit(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)
The coroner gave a narrative conclusion on Monday, finding that McQueen, who was capped for Scotland 30 times between 1974 and 1981, died from pneumonia as a consequence of mixed vascular dementia and CTE.
He said: “It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE.”
McQueen joined United in 1978 and went on to win the FA Cup in 1983.
The inquest heard how McQueen’s family donated his brain, after his death, to Professor Willie Stewart – a consultant neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, who has conducted extensive research into brain injury in footballers and rugby players.