Liverpool and Wales football legend John Toshack has been diagnosed with dementia, with his son Cameron confirming the news in an interview
11:12, 25 Mar 2026Updated 11:12, 25 Mar 2026
John Toshack
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John Toshack has been diagnosed with dementia(Image: GETTY )
Liverpool and Wales legend John Toshack has been diagnosed with dementia. His son, Cameron, disclosed the heartbreaking news in an interview.
Cameron, who is presently serving as assistant manager at Buriram United in Thailand, confessed his father experiences "good days and bad days". Nevertheless, he noted he can still remember complete line-ups from matches he participated in decades earlier.
"It's a terrible disease," Cameron 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.
John Toshack
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John Toshack's son, Cameron, offered a health update(Image: Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
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"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."
He shared the Anfield dressing room with world stars such as John Toshack, Kevin Keegan and Ray Clemence
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John Toshack is an icon in Liverpool(Image: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
Toshack was an authentic footballing icon during his playing career - having signed for Liverpool in 1970 in a £100,000 transfer from Cardiff City., reports Wales Online.
At Anfield, he secured nine honours - including three First Division titles and a European Cup. He subsequently moved to Swansea City as player-manager, guiding the club to three promotions in four seasons.
The achievement of guiding them from the Fourth Division to the First Division prompted former Liverpool boss Bill Shankly to hail Toshack the "manager of the century".
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Following his departure from SA1, one of British football's most diverse managerial journeys would ensue.
Throughout his managerial tenure, he oversaw some of Europe's most prestigious clubs - including Sporting Lisbon, Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna, Besiktas and Saint-Etienne. At Madrid, he secured the La Liga crown in 1990.
He also enjoyed two spells as Wales boss. Initially briefly on a part-time basis in 1994 and subsequently between 2004 and 2010 - helping nurture talents such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen during that second period.