‘We’ve got to change this’: Socceroos icon’s plea after shock diagnosis
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Socceroos legend Paul Wade is urging football’s governing bodies to come together and implement limitations on children heading the ball in games and at training.
His urgent plea follows a devastating reveal on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Former Socceroos captain Paul Wade speaks to Today. Today
Wade, 64, has no doubt the brain damage was caused by heading the ball countless times throughout his illustrious career in Australia and for the Socceroos, whom he captained 46 times between 1990 and 1996.
He was in denial for a long time before his family finally forced him to consult a doctor.
“I was doing an interview yesterday in Melbourne, he asked me a question and I had no idea what he had just asked,” Wade told Nine’s Today on Thursday.
“That’s part of my problem, it’s just gone. I’d always had a bad memory... but my wife and family started to see a couple of changes in my moods. We almost lost a couple of friends from what I did, what I said.”
Wade was a warrior on the pitch and his most notable skill was being able to head the ball better than anyone else.
But he now realises his most famous attribute was doing irreparable damage to his brain. He has no doubt his probable CTE was caused by football.
“The number of times I headed the ball, to the extreme... the average person in the park on a Saturday wouldn’t do it, but my job... was to smash a ball with my head,” he told Today.
“The number of sessions when I did it over, and over, and over. If that ball is coming at 20km/h, and I’m running at five, I’ve hit this thing at 25km/h. And it didn’t hurt, that’s the thing about CTE, your brain doesn’t hurt. You don’t know a little bit of your brain has just been damaged.
“We’ve got to change this. Somebody has got to step up and take ownership.
“I spoke to someone at Football Victoria, they said we can’t do anything until Football Australia do something... I’m sure they are waiting for FIFA to make a decision. So everyone is waiting, and these kids and young adults might be damaging their brain more and more.
“We need to stop people heading the ball before 12 (years old) and limit the number of times they do it.”
Paul Wade of the Socceroos in action during the 1993 FIFA World Cup Preliminary match between Australia and Argentina. Getty Images
Wade’s neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs is also calling on headers to be banned in junior football in Australia, as they are in England for players under 12 years of age. England also has limitations on headers during training.
“Ultimately, it’s about being positive and progressive in football. As a neurologist, I call for a reduction in heading for players, including removing all heading under 12,” she said via a statement through the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) on Wednesday.
“We want kids entering the great sport of football today to be their brain best both on the field and throughout life. You only get one brain.”
Wade captained Australia’s national men’s team and played 84 games in the coveted strip.
He revealed his diagnosis through a PFA statement on Wednesday.
“Football gave me so much. It gave me a life, a career, incredible experiences and the privilege of representing Australia,” he said.
“But I also must be honest about the challenges I now face and the uncertainty that comes with living with a neurodegenerative condition.
Paul Wade has been diagnosed with probable CTE. Wolter Peeters
“Receiving a diagnosis of probable CTE has been difficult. But I have decided to speak publicly because I know there may be other players and families facing similar questions.
“If sharing my experience can help someone seek support, create better education and prevention, or help the game take brain health more seriously, then it is worth doing.
“I do not want to discourage anyone from playing football, as I think there are so many positive health benefits. But we do need to understand more about the long-term effects of repeated head impacts and make sure that players, families and the game have the information and support they need to protect future generations.”
CTE can’t be properly diagnosed until a post-mortem is conducted but doctors can deliver a probable diagnosis while a patient is still alive.
Dr Mobbs has told Wade he will eventually die as a result of the CTE, if not beforehand from something else.
“When the neurologist said, ‘It’s terminal. Go and make some memories,’ that’s when reality kicks in,” Wade said via The Sydney Morning Herald.
“All my mates have been going, ‘Yeah, but we’re all terminal, Wadey.’ But I’ll never forget those words when she said them, that it’s terminal.
“I’m gonna die of this. I might not die for 20 years, I might get hit by a bus, but there is no cure. And that was the moment I thought, people have got to understand … you don’t have to have a concussion to have CTE.”
Wade’s former Socceroos teammate Craig Foster paid tribute on social media.
“We need to understand the exact risks across all ball and impact sports to ensure that future generations are protected, and completely safe,” Foster wrote.
“Typical of Paul, still showing leadership, as he always did. Wanting to ensure that the game he loves, and that loves him, is completely safe.”
