​Nobby Stiles, the revered 1966 England World Cup winner, died from a brain condition directly caused by repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has concluded.The ruling follows an inquest into the death of the former Manchester United midfielder, who passed away almost six years ago aged 78, suffering from severe dementia.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStockport Coroner’s Court heard that Stiles had headed a football an estimated 140,000 times throughout his illustrious career. Expert analysis of his brain revealed that his severe dementia was a result of both Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition strongly linked to head trauma from heading a ball.Neuro-pathology expert Dr Daniel Du Plessis told the court, “I’m quite convinced his heading the football that many times has caused his CTE.”When Senior Coroner for South Manchester, Alison Mutch, asked for clarification, “You are saying repeated heading of the ball is the cause of his CTE?”, Dr Du Plessis unequivocally replied, “Yes.”Stiles passed away at the age of 78 nearly six years ago (PA Wire)Norbert “Nobby” Stiles, born in Collyhurst, Manchester in 1942, was renowned as a tough-tackling defensive midfielder. He earned 28 caps for England and made nearly 400 appearances for Manchester United. Stiles, who resided in Stretford, south Manchester, died in a care home on 30 October 2020, having been left bed-bound by his advanced dementia.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn January 2024, his family raised the possibility of CTE contributing to his death, prompting Dr Du Plessis to examine brain tissue samples to reach his medical conclusions. Stiles’ family has been actively campaigning for football authorities to provide greater support to former players suffering from injuries they attribute to their playing days.Stiles’ son, John, has previously stated that football had “killed” his father. During the hearing, Mr Stiles reflected on his father’s character: “My dad was very humble, he just happened to have achieved quite a lot. It never really changed him. If you went into his house, you would never know he was a footballer. He was very much a family man, football was left at the door. The family was always the first priority.”Coroner Ms Mutch noted the poignancy of the conversation, but Mr Stiles emphasised that his father “never talked, he never bragged” about being a World Cup winner. He added: “He was proud of it but we were always much more proud of the father he was than the footballer.”Mr Stiles told the court that his father, who joined Manchester United as an apprentice aged 15 in 1957, adored the club and the Busby Babes. He estimated that his father headed the ball around 40 times a day, five days a week, over a 17-year career, calculating a “conservative” estimate of 136,000 headers in total.John Stiles previously said football ‘killed’ his father (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)He also highlighted that footballs during h