SCOTLAND | MANCHESTER UNITED
Denis Law is best known for the eleven years he spent playing for Manchester United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances. He was known as the first king of the Stretford End.
602
CLUB APPS
303
CLUB GOALS
55
INT APPS
30
INT GOALS
2
LEAGUE TITLES
1967 | 1965
1
EUROPEAN CUP
1968
1
BALLON D’OR
1964
0
WORLD CUP
Denis Law grew up in an Aberdeen Council Flat and was the youngest of six siblings. He supported Aberdeen and watched them on the terraces when he had enough money to pay the entrance fee. He got his first pair of football boots as a teenager after receiving them as a present. The obsession with football lead to Law turning down a place at the local grammar school as their sport of choice was Rugby.
Despite having a severe squint, Law showed great promise for playing football once he moved from full-back to inside left. At this point, he was selected for Scotland Schoolboys.
EARLY DAYS
After being scouted by Huddersfield Town, he was eventually signed by the Yorkshire side in April 1955. Not long after, he had an operation to remove his squint. This greatly improved his self-confidence.
Following Huddersfield’s relegation the previous season, Law made his debut in December 1956, and he helped his side win 2-1 against Notts County. Despite still being a teenager, his early form with Huddersfield impressed many within the game, and Manchester United manager Matt Busby offered him £10,000 contact to sign for the Reds. Huddersfield turned this down. Law eventually left Huddersfield and signed for Manchester City in March 1960.
FIRST SPELL AT CITY
Law moved to City for around £55,000, and this was a British record transfer fee at the time. In a cup game against Luton Town, he scored an incredible six goals. However, the match was abandoned, and the goals didn’t count. Luton won the rearranged game and City were knocked out of the cup to make matters worse.
Law enjoyed his first spell at Maine Road but was disappointed with the lack of success. He was sold to Italian side Torino during the summer of 1961.
PLAYING STYLE
Perhaps the biggest compliment about Denis Law’s playing style came from Pele. The Brazilian legend said: “Denis Law was the only British player good enough to play for Brazil.” Law had skill, agility and pace that helped him become one of the most clinical forwards in Europe.
MOVING TO ITALY
Law’s transfer to Torino broke another British transfer record. The prospect of playing in a different country and experiencing a new culture proved too tempting for him. The wages being offered by Torino dwarfed the money that City was prepared to offer. They also provided additional performance-related payments for goals scored, and this was a strong incentive for a natural-born striker. Denis got off to an excellent start for Torino, scoring four goals in his first six games.
His time in Italy wasn’t an entirely happy one. He found the negative and cynical tactics employed by the league’s defenders as challenging for a striker. Off the pitch, he also struggled with the constant attention from local media outlets.
Law reached a low point when he was involved in a car crash with his brother and a teammate. The group had stayed up drinking until the early hours and then decided to drive home, the car they were travelling in clipped a kerb and flipped over. Baker suffered severe injuries and needed lifesaving surgery. Law escaped with minor bumps and bruises. Both players were banned from playing following the incident.
It was an eventful season for Law, but he did not want to spend any more time in Italy. Torino was happy to sell him, and terms were agreed with Manchester United.
About his time in Italy, he told Manutd.com: “It was a different game really in Italy to what it was here. They marked much more tightly, people were walking with you wherever you went, and you didn’t get that in England. There wasn’t actual man-marking, that came in a bit later.
”Even though I’d only had a year there, when I came back to United, I didn’t feel I was being marked by anybody! Freedom! Say, if Torino were playing AC Milan, we would be marking them with two players on each striker. That was the game and it was the same with the opposition on us.”
RETURN TO ENGLAND
The move to Old Trafford made Law a legend of the game. He impressed immediately and spoke again about the difference in defending between the English and Italian leagues: “When I came back here, it felt like I wasn’t being marked at all and I had so much free space!”
On his debut for United against West Brom, it took Denis less than ten minutes to open his account.
Despite a great first season back in England, United struggled for a period, and there were even relegation concerns. They eventually found some success in the FA Cup and reached the final where they faced Leicester City.
United and Law rose to the occasion and went on to win the final 3-1. Law scored, and the FA Cup win proved to be a catalyst for greater success.
THE HOLY TRINITY
During his time at Old Trafford, Law became part of the legendary ‘holy trinity’ alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best. Charlton had been an ever-present for the club, and Best would go onto make his debut during the following season.
The 1963/1964 season finished without a trophy for Law and United, but it was evident that both club and player were making tremendous progress. United narrowly missed out on the title as Law had the best season of his career. He scored a club record 46 goals in 42 appearances during the season.
WINNING THE BALLON D’OR
That incredible season resulted in Law becoming the first and only Scottish footballer to win Ballon d’Or. To mark the 50th anniversary of receiving the award, he spoke with Fifa.com: “In those days, there were no big announcements like there are now. You tended to find out from a local journalist about everything: when you were called up for Scotland, when there was a club in for you and so on. The Ballon d’Or was no different.
“There was no fuss, and receiving the award was the same. You see the Gala they have now and it’s all very glitzy, with the big stars there and TV broadcasting it across the world. When I won, the Ballon d’Or was presented to me before a match at Old Trafford later in the season. The crowd gave me a little cheer and that was it.
“But one thing hasn’t changed and that’s the fact it’s always been a special award to win. That’s still the case today, and I’m very proud to be able to say I’m one of the few who has done it.”
MORE SUCCESS AT OLD TRAFFORD
The 1964/1965 season was another excellent one for Law, as he scored another 36 goals. His goals played a huge part in United winning their first title since 1957. The success meant United could compete in the European Cup during the following season.
The 1965/1966 campaign wasn’t as fortunate for him and the club. United finished in 4th place and without a trophy. However, they did reach the Semi-Finals of the European Cup, Law scored three times and managed seventeen in all competitions.
PLACED ON THE TRANSFER LIST
Law’s time at Old Trafford wasn’t without controversy. In 1966, a contract dispute with Busby led to Law being placed on the transfer list. During Wayne Rooney’s disagreement with the club several decades later, Law spoke about the similarities and differences between the incidents with the Republik of Mancunia website:
“I couldn’t help smile as I thought back to the time when I also said I would leave the club if they refused my pay demand.
“Back in 1966, I asked Matt Busby for a rise of £10 a week! His response was to bring it all out in the open. He announced that he wouldn’t be held to ransom and had put me on the transfer list. I don’t know about Wayne, but I never really wanted to leave United. I was just trying it on.
“And in fact there was never any animosity. Matt sorted it with me very cleverly. He gave me a prepared statement of apology to sign and he presented it to the press. He had proved again what a strong manager he was, and I was back on board. What Matt didn’t reveal was that he had secretly given me the tenner. That was his way of handling things.”
MISSING OUT ON THE EUROPEAN CUP FINAL
Law put the dispute behind him as he played another huge part in United winning the league. Law scored 23 league goals; this included two in a 6-1 thrashing of West Ham that sealed the title with a game to spare.
The 1967/1968 was successful for United as they finally became European Champions, but it became frustrating for Law.
He had an ongoing knee problem that was beginning to cause him serious problems. He was regularly given injections to ease the pain. Still, the problems continued, and he missed the 2nd leg of the European Cup Semi-Final against Real Madrid and ultimately the final against Benfica.
FINAL SEASONS AT UNITED
Law’s final seasons at Old Trafford saw little success and no major honours, but he did regain a decent level of goal scoring prowess during 1968/1969.
Law and United were determined to retain the European Cup after a disappointing league campaign, and they reached the Semi-Finals where they faced AC Milan. They were well and truly up against it having suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first leg but still fancied their chances in front of a packed Old Trafford.
Bobby Charlton gave United hope, and then Law thought he’d scored a late second goal to level the tie on aggregate. Law shot towards the goal, and United players and fans started celebrating wildly. However, the referee judged that the ball had not crossed the line and the play carried on. United were out, and Law knew that he would never get to play in a European Cup final.
DID LAW RELEGATE MANCHESTER UNITED?
Injuries marred Law’s final seasons at Old Trafford, and he finally left the club in 1973. Despite those injury-hit seasons, he finished his United career with a tally of 237 goals for United and remained a legend with the club’s supporters.
He was allowed to leave on a free transfer and found himself returning to Man City. Law’s second spell at Maine Road was mostly uneventful, but there was a controversial and iconic (depending on whether you’re red or blue) moment towards the end of the 1973/1974 season.
A late-season Manchester derby saw City head to Old Trafford to face United. His former club needed a win to avoid relegation, and it was a Law backheel which is believed to have sealed their fate. Law recalls the moment and points out that were United were heading for relegation anyway. “The subject always crops up. It’s one of those things. It’s always there and I am always remembered for it.
“That’s a shame. And also grossly unfair, given the goal was utterly inconsequential.”
Law retired from football after that second spell with City.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Law broke numerous records for Scotland. His early promise made him the youngest Scottish international in modern times, and his incredible 30 goals in 55 appearances is still a record for his country.
Before his first game for Scotland, he said: “I’m young and fit and ready for action, the sun is shining brightly, and I have a Scotland shirt on my back. Who could ask for more?”
Denis married his wife, Diana, in December 1962 and they went onto have five children. One of the children, Diana, spent time working at Old Trafford in the Press Office. The entire Law family still live in Manchester.
Law’s football legacy remains enormous, especially at Old Trafford where he remains the only player to have two statues at the ground. The first one was unveiled in September on the Stretford End’s concourse, and the second was unveiled in 2010 outside the ground where he stands next to George Best and Bobby Charlton.
In 2020, he was the focus of a documentary made by Sky. ‘The Lawman’ charts the rise of the Manchester United and Scotland legend and explores how he became one of the most loved and respected footballers of all time.
DENIS LAW QUOTES: The game becomes easy when you’re playing with great players like Sir Robert Charlton, George Best and Pat Crerand. - Denis Law Manchester United has had some great finishers – Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie – but Denis was the best of the lot. - Willie Morgan Denis mixed it with the biggest physically, but it was they who came off second best. - Alex Ferguson
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