Liverpool legend John Toshack has denied he has dementia, just days after his son Cameron claimed his father was suffering from the cognitive disease.
Toshack, 77, has enjoyed a successful football career as both a player and a manager. He is best known for his time playing for Liverpool between 1970 and 1978, a period in which he helped the Reds win three First Division titles and one European Cup, among other notable honours.
After retiring from playing in 1984, the Welshman, who earned 40 caps for his country, managed several clubs, including Sporting CP and Real Madrid (twice), as well as Wales and North Macedonia at international level.
The 77-year-old’s last job was at the Azerbaijani side Tractor in 2018.
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On March 25, Toshack’s eldest son Cameron, who is a coach at Thai club Buriram, claimed his father was currently suffering from dementia in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Saying his father has “good and bad days”, Cameron added: “It’s a terrible disease. 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 Sacchi’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.”
Dementia? Not yet
Toshack’s wife of 33 years, Mai Angulo, is astonished by Cameron’s claims.
Speaking to Spanish outlet El Diario Vasco, she said: “Cameron only knows what he talks about very occasionally on the phone with his father. He hasn’t seen him for two years. That’s why it really surprised me that he said this.”
John has also spoken out and said “Dementia? Not yet” during an interview with Spain’s El Mundo.
“I’ve forgotten all the goals I missed, but I remember perfectly the ones I scored,” he joked.
The former Liverpool star also battled Covid-19, which his wife claimed left him with “severe after-effects, both physical and mental”.
“We cannot forget that we went through some terrible moments, with John sedated in an intensive care unit, not knowing how he would progress,” she said.
“He always says that he was out of this world for more than ten days and that when, thank God, he came back, he didn’t understand anything.
“He didn’t know what was happening to him or where he was. It wasn’t easy. I spent many days anxious because, apart from John’s closest friends, no one showed interest, not even his family.”
Luke Davies