As Chris Nicholl's death certificate is change to reflect football-related head trauma, which clubs did he play for?
The death certificate of former footballer Chris Nicholl has been altered to reflect the head injuries he sustained during his playing days.
Nicholl, who predominantly played in the 1960s and 70s, was a centre-back renowned for his towering physical presence. He died in February 2024, and his cause of death was initially recorded as bronchopneumonia and a bowel condition.
But following a campaign from his family, and a new hearing into his death, Nicholl’s death certificate has since been changed to reflect the repetitive head trauma he experienced as a player.
Nicholl was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a form of dementia for people who have repeated head injuries.
Speaking to Alan Shearer in the 2017 documentary Dementia, Football And Me, he said it had come from heading the ball so much during his career.
He said: “My memory is in trouble. Everyone forgets regular things, where your keys are. But when you forget where you live, that's different.
“I've had that for the last four or five years. It is definitely getting worse. It bothers me.”
After graduating the academy ranks at Burnley, Nicholl spent the majority of his career at Aston Villa and Southampton, racking up a total of 438 appearances between the two clubs. When he became a manager in the mid-1980s, he returned to the Den to spearhead the Saints from 1985 to 1991.
Nicholl then went on to manage Walsall in the 1990s, and was Northern Ireland’s assistant manager at the turn of the millenium.