Denis Law was one of the most gifted footballers to ever come out of Scotland – admired for his skill on the park and his modesty and affability off it.
Born in 1940 in Aberdeen he was the youngest of seven children, enduring a hard childhood marked by poverty. But the respite provided by his local football club ignited a lifelong passion for the game.
Despite a love for The Dons, Law would make his career in England, first with Huddersfield Town and then with Manchester City, before being transferred to the Italian club Torino in 1961 for a six-figure sum, which at the time was a record for the transfer of a British player.
Law was unsettled in Italy – not least because the defensive system known as catenaccio was very much in vogue and stifled the enterprise of the star forward.
He was bought by Manchester United in 1962 and it was at Old Trafford that he became an iconic figure.
The scars from the 1958 Munich air disaster, in which 23 people lost their lives, still reverberated and United were fighting relegation by the time Law arrived at the club.
He would spend 11 years at Old Trafford. A huge personal moment for Law came in 1965 when he won the coveted Ballon d’Or award.
Getty Images / Staff via Getty ImagesThat crowned a season in which United won the championship, with Law the division’s top scorer. The previous year he scored 46 times in all competitions – a club record that still stands today.
The 1965-66 season was blighted by injury following a knee problem picked up while playing for Scotland against Poland. The injury would prove troublesome for the rest of his career.
United won the league again in 1966-67 and were crowned European Champions in 1968 but Law was to miss both the European Cup semi-final and final through injury.
He was given a free transfer in 1973 by Tommy Docherty and was signed by neighbours Manchester City.
It was his second stint at Maine Road. United were relegated in 1974 with Law scoring against his former club in a derby match on the last day of the season. He did not celebrate the goal and cut a lonely, tortured figure as he suspected the goal would send United down.
Getty ImagesLaw’s international career stretched from 1958 until 1974.
His lowest point internationally came on April 15, 1961, when England defeated Scotland 9-3. On a more memorable note he scored in the famous win over the Auld Enemy at Wembley in 1967, the year after their World Cup win.
He was capped 55 times for his country and boasts an impressive tally of 30 goals.
SNS GroupHe retired after the 1974 World Cup finals in which he played in one of the group games against Zaire.
Law’s medal collection doesn’t do justice to his abilities and skill. He won the old First Division with United on two occasions, as well as the FA Cup in 1963, the European Cup in 1968 and two charity shields.
He was a mainstay of sports broadcasting for many years, with both radio and television, where he worked as both an analyst and summariser.
Law was part of that generation of football stars who did not earn the riches; some would say obscene amounts of money that are paid to players today and players who had a fraction of Law’s ability.
Getty Images / Staff via Getty ImagesOff the pitch, he was popular with fans who warmed to his personality. He always came across as a modest, down-to-earth man whose legendary status in the game did not go to his head.
He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of the huge impact he had on the game and he was awarded a CBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list.
Alan Harvey via SNS GroupBy that time he was something of an elder statesmen. He received honorary degrees from the University of St Andrews and Robert Gordon University, as well as the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.
A statue of Law adorns the entrance to Aberdeen Sports village, portraying Law with his arm raised in celebration of his goal against England in 1967.
Craig Williamson via SNS GroupIt has become an iconic image marking a time when the national side was respected, and Law was an integral part of gaining that respect.
His death is another reminder of better days for the national side. In his career he gave joy to so many and today those he entertained remember a truly great player and a really good guy.
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