Towering centre half Gordon McQueen, who died aged 70 in 2023 after being diagnosed with dementia, was capped 30 times for his country and won the league with Leeds United and FA Cup with Manchester United
14:04, 26 Jan 2026Updated 14:13, 26 Jan 2026
Hayley McQueen on the beach with her late father Gordon McQueen
View 7 Images
Hayley McQueen said he dad became more withdrawn after his 60th birthday(Image: INSTAGRAM/mcqueenhayley)
Heading a football "likely" contributed to the brain injury which was a factor in the death of former Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen, a coroner has ruled. The towering centre half died at his home in North Yorkshire in June 2023, aged 70.
An inquest ruled the former Scottish international's cause of death was pneumonia as he had become frail and bed-bound for months, due to a combination of vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Coroner Jon Heath gave a narrative conclusion on Monday, telling the inquest at Northallerton: "It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE."
Anna Forbes and Hayley McQueen talking after the inquest into their father Gordon's death
View 7 Images
Anna Forbes and Hayley McQueen talking after the inquest into their father Gordon's death(Image: PA)
Gordon's Daughter Hayley McQueen, a prominent Sky Sports journalist and presenter, said after the hearing that Jeff Astle's death "should have been a turning point, "but said "not much has happened between that time and now."
She added: "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. He loved football, he absolutely loved everything about football. But, ultimately, it took him in the end.
Gordon McQueen of Leeds United FC. (
View 7 Images
Gordon McQueen won the league title with Leeds(Image: Getty Images)
"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."
Hayley had previously given evidence at the hearing, where she was asked by her barrister Michael Rawlinson KC if her father had discussed whether anything in his past history was behind his dementia.
He worked as a pundit after he retired
View 7 Images
He worked as a pundit after he retired(Image: PA)
She said: "He said ‘heading a football for all those years probably hasn’t helped’." Hayley told the inquest her dad was relatively injury-free during his career but did suffer some concussions, adding: "They would just head back out and play."
She also recalled how, when she was young, he would come home from training with Manchester United and lie down in a darkened room with a headache.
Hayley described how her father was very healthy and active – both in sport and with his family – during his playing days and after he retired.
Gordon won the FA Cup with Man United
View 7 Images
Gordon won the FA Cup with Man United(Image: Getty Images)
But she said the family began to notice changes in his personality after his 60th birthday. She said her dad had always been very sociable and outgoing, but became more withdrawn.
She told the inquest that although her father was a central defender, he was well known for scoring goals from set-pieces, usually with his head. One of his most famous goals for his country was a thumping header against England at Wembley in 1977.
The inquest heard how the McQueen family donated Gordon's brain 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.
Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen
View 7 Images
Gordon made the move from Leeds to Manchester United(Image: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
Prof Stewart told the inquest he found evidence of CTE – a brain disorder linked to repeated head impacts – and vascular dementia.
And when he asked whether the CTE "more than minimally, negligibly or trivially" contributed to the death and that "heading the ball" contributed to the CTE, the professor said the only evidence available was Gordon's "high exposure" to heading a football.
Gordon began his career at St Mirren before moving to Leeds, with whom he won the English title in 1973-74 and played a key role in their run to the European Cup final in 1975. He was suspended for the 1975 European Cup final defeat by Bayern Munich.
Gordon McQueen, Manchester United defender, Gordon McQueen won 30 Scotland international caps between 1974-1981
View 7 Images
Gordon McQueen, who won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 1983, died in 2023(Image: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
McQueen then joined Leeds’s arch-rivals Manchester United in 1978 and went on to make 184 appearances for the Red Devils, winning the FA Cup in 1983.
Injury robbed him of a World Cup appearance in 1978 after he had been included in Scotland’s squad having made his senior debut in 1974 against Belgium. After retirement, he coached at various clubs including Middlesbrough and worked as pundit on Sky Sports.
He finally settled in the village of Hutton Rudby, near Yarm, North Yorks. He was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in 2011 and suffered a stroke in 2015. He was diagnosed with vascular dementia in early 2021 and tragically died two years later.
Article continues below
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .