Overview
- Mike Bailey has died at the age of 84 after a long battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s, a condition his family first made public after a 2017 diagnosis.
- Bailey was a dominant central midfielder for Wolverhampton Wanderers from 1966 to 1977, making about 436 appearances, scoring 25 goals and winning two England caps.
- He captained Wolves to the 1974 League Cup victory at Wembley and played in the 1972 UEFA Cup final, and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Former teammates and the Wolves former players’ association paid tribute to Bailey for his leadership and lasting influence at Molineux, highlighting his regular return to club events after retirement.
- The family’s view that repeated heading contributed to his dementia has been public since earlier interviews and adds to wider concerns about links between football head impacts and neurodegenerative disease.