Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2021; 42(07): 662-668
DOI: 10.1055/a-1308-3116
Clinical Sciences

Mortality of Spanish Former Elite Soccer Players and Coaches

José Carlos Diz 
1   Department of Functional Biology and Health Sciences, Well-Move Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
,
Santiago Iglesias Sueiro
2   Department of Special Didactics, Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
,
Eva Diz Ferreira
3   Department of Faculty of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
,
Miguel Adriano Sanchez-Lastra 
4   Department of Special Didactics, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
,
Carlos Ayán
5   Department of Special Didactics, Well-Move Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

We analyzed whether male Spanish elite soccer players live longer than the general population. Secondly, we compared their mortality with a cohort of soccer players who continued working as soccer elite coaches after retirement. Using age and calendar-date adjusted life tables, we analyzed the mortality hazard ratio of 1333 Spanish male players born before 1950, and who played in elite leagues from 1939, compared with the Spanish population. Using Cox proportional hazards model we compared their mortality with a cohort of 413 players who continued as coaches. Players showed significantly lower mortality than the general population, but this advantage decreased with advanced age, disappearing after 80 years. Coaches showed a similar pattern. Comparing players versus coaches, date of birth and years as professional were associated with survival, but debut age and player position were not. Unadjusted median survival time was 79.81 years (IQR 72.37–85.19) for players and 81.8 years (IQR 74.55–86.73) for coaches. Kaplan-Meier estimator adjusted for covariables showed no difference between cohorts (p=0.254). In conclusion, former Spanish male players showed lower mortality than the general population, but this effect disappeared after 80 years of age. Continuing their career as coaches after retirement from playing did not confer major benefits.

Key words

life expectancy - occupational physical activity - epidemiology

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 17 June 2020

Accepted: 31 October 2020

Article published online:
01 February 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Mountjoy M, Costa A, Budgett R. et al. Health promotion through sport: International sport federations’ priorities, actions and opportunities. Br J Sports Med 2018; 52: 54-60
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Strasser B, Burtscher M. Survival of the fittest: VO2max, a key predictor of longevity?. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed) 2018; 23: 1505-1516
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Milanović Z, Pantelić S, Čović N. et al. Is recreational soccer effective for improving VO2max? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med 2015; 45: 1339-1353
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Oja P, Titze S, Kokko S. et al. Health benefits of different sport disciplines for adults: Systematic review of observational and intervention studies with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2015; 49: 434-440
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Oja P, Kelly P, Pedisic Z. et al. Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: A cohort study of 80 306 British adults. Br J Sports Med 2017; 51: 812-817
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Titze S. et al. The associations between participation in certain sports and lower mortality are not explained by affluence and other socioeconomic factors. Br J Sports Med 2017; 25: 1514-1515
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Schnohr P, O’Keefe JH, Holtermann A. et al. Various leisure-time physical activities associated with widely divergent life expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study. Mayo Clin Proc 2018; 93: 1775-1785
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Teramoto M, Bungum TJ. Mortality and longevity of elite athletes. J Sci Med Sport 2010; 13: 410-416
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Lemez S, Baker J. Do elite athletes live longer? a systematic review of mortality and longevity in elite athletes. Sports Med Open 2015; 1: 16
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Kontro TK, Sarna S, Kaprio J. et al. Mortality and health-related habits in 900 Finnish former elite athletes and their brothers. Br J Sports Med 2018; 52: 89-95
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Garatchea N, Santos-Lozano A, Sanchis-Gomar F. et al. Elite athletes live longer than the general population: a meta-analysis. Mayo Clin Proc 2014; 89: 1195-1200
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Belli S, Vanacore N. Proportionate mortality of Italian soccer players: Is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis an occupational disease?. Eur J Epidemiol 2005; 20: 237-242
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Taioli E. All causes mortality in male professional soccer players. Eur J Public Health 2007; 17: 600-604
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Gouttebarge V, Ooms W, Tummers T. et al. Mortality in international professional football (soccer): a descriptive study. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2015; 55: 1376-1382
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Gajda J, Śmigielski W, Śmigielski J. et al. Longevity and cardiovascular mortality of Polish elite football players. Kardiol Pol 2018; 76: 1705-1711
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Kuss O, Kluttig A, Greiser KH. Longevity of soccer players: An investigation of all German internationals from 1908–2006. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2011; 21: 260-265
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Koning RH, Amelink R. Medium-term mortality of dutch professional soccer players. Econ Labour Relat Rev 2012; 23: 55-68
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Mackay DF, Russell ER, Stewart K. et al. Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional soccer players. N Engl J Med 2019; 381: 1801-1808
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M. et al. Declaración de la Iniciativa STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology): Directrices para la comunicación de estudios observacionales. Gac Sanit 2008; 22: 144-150
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Harriss DJ, Macsween A, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2020 update. Int J Sports Med 2019; 40: 813-817
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 BDFutbol.com, Base de datos histórica de Futbol. In internet: https://www.bdfutbol.com; (accessed 2020 Jun 16)
    PubMed
  • 22 Blanes A. La mortalidad en la España del Siglo XX. Análisis demográfico y territorial. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 2007
    PubMed
  • 23 Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain, various years. Human Mortality Database. In internet: https://www.mortality.org/; (accessed 2020 Jun 16)
    PubMed
  • 24 Zhou Z, Rahme E, Abrahamowicz M. et al. Survival bias associated with time-to-treatment initiation in drug effectiveness evaluation: A comparison of methods. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 162: 1016-1023
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Sylvestre MP, Huszti E, Hanley JA. Do Oscar winners live longer than less successful peers? A reanalysis of the evidence. Ann Intern Med 2006; 145: 361-363
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Arrighi HM, Hertz-Picciotto I. The evolving concept of the healthy worker survivor effect. Epidemiology 1994; 5: 189-196
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Chowdhury R, Shah D, Payal A. Healthy worker effect phenomenon: Revisited with emphasis on statistical methods-A review. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2017; 21: 2-8
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 García-Martí C, Gómez-López M. Durán. et al. The restructuring plans and the Spanish football clubs conversion into PLCs (1982-1992). Materiales para la Historia del Deporte 2016; 14: 1-18
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Wallace JL, Norton KI. Evolution of World Cup soccer final games 1966-2010: Game structure, speed and play patterns. J Sci Med Sport 2014; 17: 223-228
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Arliani GG, Lara PS, Astur DC. et al. Impact of sports on health of former professional soccer players in Brazil. Acta Ortop Bras 2014; 22: 188-190
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 McHugh C, Hind K, Davey D. et al. Cardiovascular health of retired field-based athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ortho J Sports Med 2019; 7: 2325967119862750
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Fortington LV, Finch CF. Death in community Australian football: A ten year national insurance claims report. PLoS One 2016; 11: e0159008
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar