The former Wales and Liverpool icon has publicly dismissed claims that he is suffering from dementia
09:05, 27 Mar 2026Updated 10:49, 27 Mar 2026
Former Wales manager John Toshack has responded to the claims
Wales football legend John Toshack has dismissed claims he is suffering from dementia. Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, John said: “Dementia? Not yet!”
He said: “I’ve forgotten all the goals I missed, but I remember perfectly the ones I scored.” Toshack’s wife, Mai Angulo, previously admitted she was stunned by Toshack’s son Cameron’s comments about his father and claimed: “He fell asleep at two in the morning crying,” referring to the worry caused by his eldest son’s comments.
Cameron discussed Toshack’s condition in an interview with the Daily Mail, suggesting his father has ‘good days and bad days.’ Cameron said in the interview that John has been diagnosed with dementia.
“Cameron only knows what he talks about very occasionally on the phone with his father,” Angulo told Spanish daily El Diario Vasco. “He hasn’t seen him for two years. That’s why it really surprised me that he said this.”
Currently working as the Buriram United assistant manager in Thailand, Cameron added that his father can still recall entire line‑ups from matches he played in decades ago.
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“It’s [dementia is] a terrible disease,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s the short-term memory where we’re seeing it – I speak to him most days and if we chat in the afternoon, he might not remember that we also spoke in the morning.
“But if I ask him about the Liverpool days, or Sociedad or Madrid, the detail is amazing. The other day he was telling me about a Real Madrid game against Arrigo Saachi’s AC Milan and exactly how he tweaked his midfield to deal with Marco van Basten.
“The game could have been yesterday, his memory was so clear. I’ll talk to him about what we’re doing in Thailand and he still gives great advice.
“As a manager, he could always see two or three moves ahead, and it was always in the genes for me, really.”
Toshack was a major star in his playing days, joining Liverpool in 1970 in a £100,000 move from Cardiff City. During his time at Anfield, he collected nine trophies, including three First Division titles and a European Cup.
He then spent six years at Swansea City as a player‑manager before moving fully into coaching. John went on to manage some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Real Sociedad, Deportivo La Coruna, Besiktas and Saint‑Etienne.
John Toshack during his coaching career
In Madrid, he won the La Liga title in 1990 before later taking charge of Wales on two separate occasions. The first time it was on a part‑time basis in 1994, and then again from 2004 to 2010.
During that second spell, he helped bring through future stars such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen.
In recent years, he has faced serious health issues, having been rushed into intensive care in 2022 while battling pneumonia brought on by Covid‑related complications.