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{{About|the Scottish footballer|the Hong Kong filmmaker|Dennis Law|the American footballer|Dennis Law (American football)}}{{Short description|Scottish footballer}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

factoids

| image = Denis Law.jpg| alt = | caption = Law in 201111404|access-date=13 October 2017}}194024|df=y}}| birth_place = Woodside, Aberdeen, Scotland| death_date = | death_place = ft=5|in=9}}| position = Centre forward| youthyears1 = 1955–1956Huddersfield Town A.F.C.>Huddersfield Town| years1 = 1956–1960Huddersfield Town A.F.C.>Huddersfield Town| caps1 = 81| goals1 = 16| years2 = 1960–1961Manchester City F.C.>Manchester City| caps2 = 44| goals2 = 21| years3 = 1961–1962Torino Calcio>Torino| caps3 = 27| goals3 = 10| years4 = 1962–1973Manchester United F.C.>Manchester United| caps4 = 309| goals4 = 171| years5 = 1973–1974Manchester City F.C.>Manchester City| caps5 = 24| goals5 =9| totalcaps = 485| totalgoals = 227| nationalyears2 = 1958–1974Scotland national football team>Scotland| nationalcaps2 = 55| nationalgoals2 = 30WEBSITE=FIBASTATS ARCHIVE-DATE=31 AUGUST 2017 URL-STATUS=LIVE, Scotland national under-23 football team>Scotland U23| nationalcaps1 = 3| nationalgoals1 = 1AUTHOR=RONNIE MCDEVITTPUBLISHER=PITCH PUBLISHINGdate=February 2023 fix-attempted=yes }}}}Denis Law {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 24 February 1940) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City for an estimated transfer fee of £55,000, which set a new British record. Law spent one year there before Torino bought him for £110,000, this time setting a new record fee for a transfer involving a British player. Although he played well in Italy, he found it difficult to settle there and signed for Manchester United in 1962, setting another British record transfer fee of £115,000 ({{Inflation|UK|115000|1962|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).Law spent 11 years at Manchester United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances. His goals tally places him third in the club's history, behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton. He was nicknamed The KingLaw and Gubba (1980), p. 8. and The Lawman by supporters, and Denis the Menace by opposing supporters. He is the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d'Or award, doing so in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967, as well as the FA Cup in 1963 and two Charity Shields. He missed their European Cup final triumph in 1968 through injury.Law left Manchester United in 1973 to return to Manchester City for a season, and represented Scotland at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He played only two competitive games in the 1974–75 season, retiring before the start of the League programme proper.WEB,weblinkweblink 26 February 2022, limited, Facebook, www.facebook.com, {{cbignore}} Law played for Scotland a total of 55 times and jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals. Law holds a United record for scoring 46 competitive goals in a single season. In 2023 Law became the last remaining member of the "United Trinity" following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Early life

Law was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, to George Law, a fisherman, and his wife, Robina; he was the youngest of seven children, four boys and three girls. The Law family were not well off and lived in a council tenement flat at Printfield Terrace in Woodside.BOOK, McCarthy, James, Manchester United – Born Winners, 2 August 2011, Coda Books Ltd, 9781906783273,weblink 18 August 2014, United Legends: Denis Law, 26 April 2024,weblink live, NEWS, Interview - Denis Law,weblink The Scotsman, 18 August 2014, 2 September 2011, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140819125614weblink">weblink live, He went barefoot until he was 12 years old and wore handed-down shoes throughout his adolescence; his first pair of football boots came as a second-hand birthday present from a neighbour, which he received as a teenager.He supported Aberdeen and watched them when he had enough money to do so, watching local non-league teams when he did not. His obsession with football led to him turning down a place at Aberdeen Grammar School, because he would have had to play rugby there; instead, he attended Powis Academy in Aberdeen. Despite having a serious squint, he showed great promise once he was moved from full back to inside-left, and was selected for Scotland Schoolboys.

Club career

Huddersfield Town

In the 1954–55 season, he was spotted by Archie Beattie, a scout for Huddersfield Town, who invited 14-year-old Law to go for a trial. When he got there, the manager said, "The boy's a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect – weak, puny and bespectacled." However, to Law's surprise, they signed him on 3 April 1955. While he was at Huddersfield, he had an operation to correct his squint, which greatly enhanced his self-confidence.Law and Harris (2003), p. 29.Huddersfield's relegation to what was then the Second Division made it easier for Law to get a game, and he made his debut on 24 December 1956, aged only sixteen, in a 2–1 win over Notts County.WEB,weblink Bill Shankly - This website is a part of LFCHistory.net, 25 April 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110929025435weblink">weblink 29 September 2011, Manchester United's manager Matt Busby shortly offered Huddersfield £10,000 for Law, a substantial amount of money for a teenage footballer at that time, but the club turned the offer down. Bill Shankly was manager of Huddersfield between 1956 and 1959, and when he left for Liverpool he wanted to take Law with him, but Liverpool were unable to afford him at that time.Law and Harris (2003), p. 44.

Manchester City

In March 1960, Law signed for Manchester City for what was then a British record transfer fee, estimated to be £55,000,According to the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, that figure equates to about £1,200,000 in 2018. although Law's share of the fee was "precisely nothing".Law and Harris (2003), p. 52. Once again, Matt Busby had attempted to sign Law for Manchester United, but United's cross-city rivals beat them to Law's signature.City had narrowly avoided relegation from Division I the previous season, and Law genuinely felt that Huddersfield had a better team at the time.Law and Harris (2003), p. 53. He made his debut on 19 March, and scored in a 4–3 defeat to Leeds United. In April 1961, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win over Aston Villa that ensured City's survival in Division One.Although he had thought about leaving,Law and Harris (2003), p. 54. he was playing well and in 1961 Law scored an incredible six goals in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town. However, the match was abandoned with twenty minutes to go, so his six goals did not count. To make matters worse for him, Luton won the replay 3–1, and City were knocked out of the Cup.BOOK, Clayton, David, Everything under the blue moon: the complete book of Manchester City F.C. – and more!, Mainstream publishing, Edinburgh, 2002, 1-84018-687-9, 126, Although he enjoyed his time at City,Law and Harris (2003), p. 55. he wanted to play in a more successful side and was sold to the Italian club Torino in the summer of 1961.

Torino

Law moved to Torino for a fee of £110,000,This was roughly equivalent to £1.65 million at 2004 values, according to the retail price conversion utility {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014023328weblink |date=14 October 2008 }} at measuringworth.com. (a record fee for a transfer involving a British player)NEWS, Manchester United and Scotland legend Denis Law turns 80,weblink 1 September 2020, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, 23 February 2020, 11 January 2021,weblink live, and was accompanied by Joe Baker who had signed from Scottish side Hibernian.WEB, Denis Law – Gran Torino,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150416064716weblink">weblink dead, 16 April 2015, Voices in Football, 7 April 2015, Law's time in Italy did not go according to plan. Another Italian club, Internazionale, tried to prevent him becoming a Torino player as soon as he arrived, claiming he had signed a pre-contract agreement with them, although they dropped this claim before the season started.Players in the UK were not treated well at the time, and the maximum wage for footballers had only recently been abolished there, so he was pleasantly surprised to find that pre-season training was based in a luxury hotel in the Alps. However, Torino took performance-related pay to something of an extreme, giving the players large sums of money when the team won, but little, if any, when they lost.Law and Harris (2003), p. 67. Like many British footballers who have gone to play in Italy, Law did not like the style of football and found adapting to it difficult. The ultra-defensive catenaccio system was popular there at the time, so forwards did not get many chances to score.Law and Harris (2003), p. 68.On 7 February 1962, he was injured in a car crash when his teammate Joe Baker drove the wrong way around a roundabout and clipped the kerb as he tried to turn the car around, flipping it over. Baker was almost killed, but Law's injuries were not life-threatening.NEWS, Herbert, Ian, Denis Law: A foot in both Manchester camps,weblink The Independent, 18 August 2014, 21 December 2012, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140819085530weblink">weblink live, By April, he had put in a transfer request, which was ignored. The final straw for Law came in a match against Napoli when he was sent off. After the match, he was told that Torino's coach, Beniamino Santos, had instructed the referee to send him off because he was angry at Law for taking a throw in, which he had been told not to do.Law and Harris (2003), p. 80. Law walked out, and was told that he would be transferred to Manchester United. A few days later, however, he was told that he was being sold to Juventus and that the small print in his contract committed him to going there whether he wanted to or not. He responded by flying home to Aberdeen, knowing that Torino would not get a penny in transfer fees if he refused to play at Juventus. He eventually signed for United on 10 July 1962, for a new British record fee of £115,000.This was roughly equivalent to £1.7 million at 2004 values, according to the retail price conversion utility {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014023328weblink |date=14 October 2008 }} at measuringworth.com.WEB, Denis Law Hall of Fame Profile,weblink National Football Museum, 1 September 2020, 23 January 2021,weblink live, Although his time in Italy was mixed, Law was voted number one foreign player in Italy ahead of teammate Joe Baker, Fiorentina winger Kurt Hamrin and Inter Milan midfielder Luis Suarez. The lifestyle and culture of a foreign country was an eye-opener for the young Scotsman, and the medical expertise and sports science in Italy was far ahead of what was available in the UK at the time. Ultimately though, Law found the football to be joyless and overly defensive, with him being subjected to violent man marking and heavy tackling on a frequent basis. His total of 10 Serie A goals stood as a record for a Scottish player until Lewis Ferguson of Bologna surpassed it 61 years later.WEB,weblink Lewis Ferguson: Bologna midfielder overtakes Denis Law's Serie A record, BBC Sport, 23 December 2023, 24 December 2023, 23 December 2023,weblink live,

Manchester United

Glory years

File:Dennis law statue.jpg|thumb|Law as depicted on a statue at Old Trafford which honours him, George Best and Bobby Charlton as the "United TrinityUnited TrinityLaw moved back to Manchester, boarding with the same landlady with whom he had lived during his time as a City player. His first match for United was against West Bromwich Albion on 18 August 1962, and he made an excellent start, scoring after only seven minutes. The match finished in a 2–2 draw. However, United's form had been erratic since the Munich air disaster in 1958, and because of their inconsistency they spent the season fighting relegation. In a league match against Leicester City Law scored a hat trick but United still lost. They found form in the FA Cup though, with Law scoring another hat trick in a 5–0 win against his old club Huddersfield Town, and they went on to reach the final against Leicester City. Leicester were strong favourites, having finished fourth in the league, but Law scored the first goal as United won 3–1 in what turned out to be the only FA Cup final of his career.WEB, 1963 FA Cup Final line up,weblink mufcinfo.com, 18 August 2014, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140819085431weblink">weblink live, He also married his wife Diana that season, on 11 December 1962.An incident took place that season that Law felt had repercussions in later years. In a match against West Brom on 15 December 1962, the referee Gilbert Pullin consistently goaded Law with taunts such as "Oh, you clever so and so, you can't play", and after the match, Law and his manager Matt Busby reported the matter to the Football Association.Law and Gubba (1980), p. 67. A disciplinary committee decided that Pullin should be severely censured, but he did not accept their verdict and quit the game. Law later claimed that "in the eyes of some referees, I was a marked man" and blamed the incident for the "staggeringly heavy punishments" that he received later in his career.Law and Gubba (1980), p. 68.Law scored a number of goals early in the 1963–64 season and was selected to play for a Rest of the World side against England at Wembley, scoring their goal in a 2–1 defeat. He later described this as the greatest honour of his career.Law and Gubba (1980), p. 74. His season was interrupted by a 28-day suspension for a sending off that he received against Aston Villa. The unusually cold winter forced United to play many of their fixtures in a short time, and their results suffered. Law later blamed this for United's failure to win a trophy in that season. Despite the lack of silverware, Law enjoyed a prolific goalscoring season and finished the campaign with 46 goals in all competitions, still a club record today.WEB, Legends we love: Denis Law,weblink Man Utd, 9 November 2015, 25 January 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160125165300weblink">weblink live, In 1964–65, Law won the Ballon d'Or award,WEB, Ballon d'Or Winners,weblink About.com (Soccer), 18 August 2014, 28 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130928023256weblink">weblink dead, and Manchester United won their first league title since Munich.WEB, Denis Law,weblink 11v11.com, 18 August 2014, Law's 28 league goals that season made him the First Division's top scorer.The following season, Law injured his right knee while playing for Scotland against Poland on 21 October 1965. He had previously had an operation on the same knee while at Huddersfield,Law and Harris (2003), p. 164. and the injury was to trouble him for the rest of his career.In 1966, Law asked United's manager Matt Busby to give him a pay rise at his next contract renewal, and threatened to leave the club if he did not get one. Busby immediately placed Law on the transfer list, announcing that "no player will hold this club to ransom, no player". When Law went to see him, Busby pulled out a written apology for him to sign, showing it to the press once he had done so.Law and Harris (2003), p. 170. Law later claimed that Busby had used the incident to warn other players not to do the same thing, but had secretly given him the pay rise.Law and Harris (2003), pp. 170–1. Despite all this, Law scored 23 goals in 36 league appearances during 1966–67, helping United win the league title again.In 1968, United won the European Cup for the first time, but Law's knee injury was causing him serious problems and he missed both the semi-final second leg and the final as a result. He was regularly given cortisone injections to ease the pain, but playing while the knee was still injured was causing long-term damage. He visited a specialist in January 1968 who wrote to United claiming that a previous operation to remove the cartilage from the knee had failed and recommending that a second operation be performed, but Law was not shown the report for several years and had to continue full training.Law and Harris (2003), p. 189.In 1968–69, United reached the semi-final of the European Cup, playing AC Milan. United lost the first leg in the San Siro 2–0, winning the second leg at Old Trafford 1–0 with a Bobby Charlton goal. Having scored seven times in the 10–2 aggregate first round victory over Waterford United, Law finished as top scorer in the tournament with 9 goals.

Decline

Wilf McGuinness took over as first team coach at the start of the 1969–70 season.Law and Harris (2003), p. 208. United finished eighth in the league, but Law missed almost all of the season through injury, and in April 1970 he was transfer listed for £60,000. Nobody made a bid for him, so he stayed at United.WEB, The two sides of the Law,weblink ESPN, 31 August 2015, 28 May 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150528064925weblink">weblink live, After a poor 1970–71 season, United appointed Frank O'Farrell as manager. They made a good start to the 1971–72 season and finished 1971 five points clear at the top of the league, with Law having scored twelve goals. However, results deteriorated and they finished the season in eighth place.WEB, Stuart, Jackson, Season 1971–72,weblink RSSSF, 7 October 2007, 1 June 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100601090929weblink">weblink live, Law scored in the first match of the following season, 1972–73, but his knee injury was troubling him again, and he failed to score for the rest of the season. The poor results continued and O'Farrell was sacked.Law recommended that United replace O'Farrell with Tommy Docherty, whom he knew from his time playing with the Scottish national side.Law and Harris (2003), p. 217. The club followed his recommendation, and things started well, with the team's improved results lifting them into mid-table. Law was given a free transfer by Tommy Docherty in the summer of 1973, after 11 years at the club during which he had scored a total of 237 goals in 404 games in all competitions, as well as collecting two league title medals and an FA Cup winner's medal. Only Bobby Charlton (who retired in 1973) and Wayne Rooney have scored more goals for United.WEB, Newton Heath & Manchester United – All players – All goals,weblink mufcinfo.com, 18 August 2014, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140819085410weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink The Glasgow Herald - Recherche d'archives de Google Actualités, news.google.cm, 19 August 2021, 30 January 2022,weblink live,

Return to Manchester City

Law was offered a contract by Manchester City manager Johnny Hart. He scored two goals on his second debut for City, against Birmingham City in the opening game of the 1973–74 season.WEB, Denis Law – Manchester City,weblink Sporting Heroes, 31 August 2015, 24 September 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150924130342weblink">weblink live, He made 27 full appearances and two as substitute in that season, including City's 2–1 defeat in the League Cup final against Wolves.Manchester; The Greatest City. James, Gary. Polar Publishing, 1997. p222. In City's last game of the 1973–74 season against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Law's 81st-minute back-heeled goal gave City a 1–0 lead but, thinking his goal might relegate United, Law did not celebrate the goal. Results of the day's other matches meant that United were relegated whatever their result, but Law did not know that at the time. A number of pitch invasions by United fans followed, and Law walked off the pitch with his head down as he was substituted. The pitch invasions forced the referee to abandon the game in the 85th minute. After a review, the Football League decided that the result should stand.Law had a contract with Manchester City for the 1974–75 season, but new manager Tony Book told him that he would only be playing reserve team football if he stayed at the club. He did not want to end his career in this way, so he retired from professional football in the summer of 1974.Denis Law – An Autobiography, p.162. Law played two games for Manchester City in the 1974–75 season, in the pre-season Texaco Cup tournament, scoring the last goal of his career in the game against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on 6 August 1974. His last professional game was the 2–1 victory against Oldham Athletic at Maine Road on 10 August 1974.Manchester City match programmes, 1974–75 He formally retired on 26 August 1974.NEWS, Denis Law decides to call it a day,weblink 31 August 2015, The Glasgow Herald, 27 August 1974, 4, 30 January 2022,weblink live,

International career

{{see also|List of international goals scored by Denis Law}}Law was not chosen to play for Scotland in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but was given his debut in a British Home Championship match against Wales on 18 October 1958 by Matt Busby, who managed Scotland on a temporary basis for two matches. Law scored Scotland's second goal in a 3–0 win over the Welsh at Ninian Park.NEWS, Philip, Robert, Denis Law the king of Scotland lives in hope,weblinkweblink 12 January 2022, subscription, live, The Telegraph, 30 August 2017, 14 November 2007, {{cbignore}}NEWS, NOW YOU KNOW: Denis scored on his debut for Scotland,weblink 30 August 2017, Evening Times, 8 November 2012, 31 August 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170831041208weblink">weblink live, WEB, Managers – Matt Busby,weblink Scottish FA, 30 August 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170831083954weblink">weblink 31 August 2017, dead, He played but did not score in Scotland's match against England on 15 April 1961. Scotland lost the match 9–3, and Law described it as his "blackest day".Law and Harris (2003), p. 112. While with Torino, Law continued to play for Scotland, although the club were not keen to release him for international matches and had put a clause into his contract stating that they were not obliged to do so.Law was chosen for the Rest of the World team that faced England in the FA Centenary match in 1963. Law scored the only goal for Rest of the World as England won 2–1.WEB,weblink FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info, RSSSF, 20 October 2015, Marcelo Leme de, Arruda, 7 June 2023, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151117033752weblink">weblink 17 November 2015, Law injured his right knee while playing for Scotland against Poland on 21 October 1965. Law scored in Scotland's famous 3–2 victory over England on 15 April 1967 in the 1967 British Home Championship, less than a year after England had become world champions. Manchester United won the league that season, but Law felt that the victory over England was even more satisfying.Law and Harris (2003), p. 178.Scotland reached the World Cup finals in the summer of 1974, for the first time since 1958. Although he had not played much first team football in the preceding season, Law was included in the squad and played in their first match, against Zaire. He did not score, but Scotland won 2–0. Law was "very disappointed" not to be picked for the following match against Brazil,Law and Harris (2003), p. 108. and was not selected for the following match against Yugoslavia either. Although Scotland were not defeated in any of their matches, they did not qualify for the second phase and were out of the World Cup.WEB,weblink planetworldcup.com, 6 October 2007, Match Schedule – 1974 World Cup, 12 February 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120212211037weblink">weblink live, The match against Zaire proved to be the last of Law's 55 appearances for Scotland.Law jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals.WEB, Alltime Player Records (Scotland),weblink FitbaStats, 9 November 2016, 1 February 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170201081310weblink">weblink live, Kenny Dalglish also scored 30 goals for Scotland, although he achieved this in 102 matches compared with Law's 55.

Personal life

He first met his wife-to-be, Diana, in an Aberdeenshire dancehall when they were both still teenagers.NEWS, McGivern, Mark, Strong family bond can help Denis' wife,weblink 25 May 2016, Daily Record, 10 April 2006, 6 February 2022,weblink live, They married in December 1962 and went on to have five children, Gary, Andrew, Robert, Iain and Diana. They also have five grandchildren, Emilia, Isla, Ollie, James and Harvey.WEB, Bhansali, Karan, Legends: Son of the Red And Blue of Manchester – Denis Law,weblink Goal, 25 May 2016, 8 January 2012, 10 October 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161010232112weblink">weblink live, Their daughter, also called Diana, worked for several years in the Manchester United press office.NEWS, Borland, Ben, Running of Old Trafford is just family business for Di,weblink 25 May 2016, Express, 24 May 2009, 24 June 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160624140719weblink">weblink live, NEWS, Newman, Benjamin, Ex Man United press secretary Diana Law has become Gary Neville's shadow at Valencia,weblink 25 May 2016, 101 Great Goals, 13 December 2015, 25 June 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160625044140weblink">weblink dead, Since retiring as a player, Law has often worked on radio and television summarising and presenting games. He was one of the first sport news presenters of Granada Reports and was the sub-presenter of Granada Television's Kick Off Match, the equivalent of LWT's The Big Match. He appeared as a special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life on 19 February 1975, months after retiring as a player.WEB,weblink This is Your Life (1969 - 1993) @ EOFFTV, 13 December 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120422082302weblink">weblink 22 April 2012, File:Denis Law - "Legend" (geograph 3143626).jpg|left|thumb|Statue to Law at 267x267pxHe was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game. On 23 February 2002, a statue of Law (alongside George Best and Bobby Charlton) was unveiled at Old Trafford, in the part of the stadium known as the Scoreboard End.NEWS, Denis Law statue unveiled,weblink ManUtd.com, Manchester United, 22 February 2002, 25 June 2005,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060513101732weblink">weblink 13 May 2006, He had a successful operation to treat prostate cancer in November 2003WEB, James, Ducker, How I beat prostate cancer: Denis Law,weblink Manchester Online, GMG Regional Digital, 11 December 2003, 25 June 2005,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20050728095247weblink">weblink 28 July 2005, and was awarded honorary degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen and St. Andrews in 2005,NEWS, Honorary degree for Law,weblink The Herald, Herald & Times Group, 11 November 2005, 22 September 2013, 27 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130927182432weblink">weblink live, and Robert Gordon University in 2017.NEWS, Emma, Morrice, Denis Law collects honorary degree as he returns to Aberdeen to open Cruyff Court,weblink Evening Express, Aberdeen Journals, 14 July 2017, 9 January 2019, 10 January 2019,weblink live, The emergence of Dutch international Dennis Bergkamp in the 1990s uncovered a story that the player's parents were fans of Law and named their son after him.NEWS, David, Winner, Dennis Bergkamp: One-on-One,weblink FourFourTwo, Haymarket Media, 1 February 2011, 22 September 2013, My father was a Denis Law fan, not a Manchester United fan., 27 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130927170501weblink">weblink live, However, Dutch authorities refused to recognise the name unless it was spelt with two n{{'}}s as they felt it was otherwise too similar to the female name Denise.NEWS, Alan, Smith, The brilliance of Bergkamp,weblinkweblink 12 January 2022, subscription, live, The Daily Telegraph, 18 September 2007, 22 September 2013, {{cbignore}}On 25 November 2005, Law was at the bedside of former United teammate George Best as he died of multiple organ failure.NEWS, 'Beastie' Best was just like a younger brother, The Telegraph, 7 December 2005,weblinkweblink 12 January 2022, subscription, live, 1 August 2014, {{cbignore}}In May 2008, at the City of Manchester Stadium, he (with UEFA president Michel Platini) presented the medals to the winners of the UEFA Cup, Zenit Saint Petersburg and their opponents, Scottish side Rangers.In February 2010, Law was named as patron of the UK based charity Football Aid, taking over from the late Sir Bobby Robson.WEB, Your Chance to Meet Football Aid's New Patron – Denis Law,weblink footballaid.com, Football Aid, 4 February 2010, 20 February 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120220070923weblink">weblink live, In 2012 he established the Denis Law Legacy Trust, a registered charity that operates programmes and activities focussed around community engagement and widening sporting participation.WEB, Neil Drysdale: Denis Law Legacy Trust is doing a marvellous job in Aberdeen,weblink Press and Journal (Scotland), 5 May 2021, 29 May 2021, 4 June 2021,weblink live, The charity aims to reduce instances of youth crime and anti-social behaviour; promote health and wellbeing and encourage inclusivity through sport, physical activity and creative endeavour WEB, Our Goals - Denis Law Legacy Trust,weblink 29 May 2021, 2 June 2021,weblink dead, collaborating on community projects like Scotland's first Cruyff Court in Aberdeen.WEB, Football legend Denis Law opens Scotland's first 'Cruyff' pitch,weblink BBC News, 13 July 2017, 29 May 2021, 2 June 2021,weblink live, In 2012, a statue to Law, commissioned by the Denis Law Legacy Trust, was unveiled at the entrance to Aberdeen Sports Village (a facility he had formally opened two years earlier) depicting his pose after scoring for Scotland against England in 1967.WEB, Statue in Aberdeen moves Denis Law to tears,weblink The Scotsman, 21 July 2012, 27 May 2018, 27 May 2018,weblink live, WEB, Manchester United star Denis Law has statue unveiled at Aberdeen Sports Village,weblink BBC News, 20 July 2012, 27 May 2018, 31 July 2018,weblink live, Law was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to football and charity.{{London Gazette|issue=61450 |supp=y|page=N9|date=30 December 2015}} In 2017, he received the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.WEB,weblink Football legend Denis Law to get Freedom of Aberdeen, BBC News, BBC, 10 March 2017, 18 March 2017, 13 March 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170313132515weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Denis Law receives Freedom of Aberdeen, BBC News, BBC, 26 November 2017, 26 November 2017, 26 November 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171126063336weblink">weblink live, In August 2021, it was announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.NEWS,weblink Denis Law diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, Paul, Hirst, 3 September 2023, www.thetimes.co.uk, 19 August 2021, 19 August 2021,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Man Utd great Law diagnosed with dementia, BBC Sport, 19 August 2021, 19 August 2021,weblink live, In November 2021 a second statue of Law was unveiled in Aberdeen city centre.NEWS,weblink Sir Alex Ferguson helps unveil Denis Law statue in Aberdeen, BBC News, 18 November 2021, 23 November 2021, 23 November 2021,weblink live,

Career statistics

Club{| class"wikitable" style"text-align:center"

weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160803124100weblink">weblink live, !rowspan="2"|Club!rowspan="2"|Season!colspan="3"|League!colspan="2"|National cup!colspan="2"|League cup!colspan="2"|Continental!colspan="2"|Other{{efn|Includes appearances in other competitions, including the Charity Shield and Intercontinental Cup.}}!colspan="2"|Total!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!GoalsHuddersfield Town1956–57 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season>1956–57Football League Second Division>Second Division–colspan="2"–1831957–58 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season>1957–58|Second Division–colspan="2"–2061958–59 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season>1958–59|Second Division–colspan="2"–2621959–60 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season>1959–60|Second Division–colspan="2"–278!colspan="2"|Total!81!!16!!10!!3!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!91!!19Manchester City1959–60 Football League#First Division>1959–60Football League First Division>First Division–colspan="2"–721960–61 Football League#First Division>1960–61|First Division–colspan="2"|23!colspan="2"|Total!44!!21!!6!!4!!0!!0!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!50!!25Torino F.C.>Torino1961–62 Serie A>1961–62|Serie A–colspan="2"–2810Manchester United1962–63 Manchester United F.C. season>1962–63|First Division–colspan="2"–44291963–64 Manchester United F.C. season>1963–64|First Division–561042461964–65 Manchester United F.C. season>1964–65|First Division–108colspan="2"|391965–66 Manchester United F.C. season>1965–66|First Division–831049241966–67 Manchester United F.C. season>1966–67|First Division–colspan="2"|251967–68 Manchester United F.C. season>1967–68|First Division–321128101968–69 Manchester United F.C. season>1968–69|First Division–792045301969–70 Manchester United F.C. season>1969–70|First Division–colspan="2"|31970–71 Manchester United F.C. season>1970–71|First Division–colspan="2"|161971–72 Manchester United F.C. season>1971–72|First Division–colspan="2"|131972–73 Manchester United F.C. season>1972–73|First Division–colspan="2"|2!colspan="2"|Total!309!!171!!46!!34!!11!!3!!33!!28!!5!!1!!404!!237|Manchester City1973–74 Football League#First Division>1973–74|First Division–colspan="2"|12!colspan="3"|Career total!485!!227!!64!!43!!15!!4!!33!!28!!5!!1!!602!!303{{notelist}}

International

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"weblink RSSSF, 16 March 2016, 29 May 2023,weblink live, !National team!!width="60"|Year!!width="40"|Apps!!width="40"|GoalsScotland|1958|1|1959|0|1960|2|1961|2|1962|5|1963|11|1964|1|1965|2|1966|2|1967|1|1968|1|1969|0|1970|0|1971|0|1972|2|1973|0|1974|0!Total!colspan="2"|55!!30

Honours

Manchester United

• Football League First Division: 1964–65, 1966–67
• FA Cup: 1962–63
• Charity Shield: 1965, 1967
• European Cup: 1967–68WEB,weblink fotballdatabase.eu, Dennis LAW, 15 July 2023, 17 November 2023,weblink live,

Scotland national team

• British Home Championship: 1959–60 (shared), 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64 (shared), 1966–67, 1971–72 (shared)WEB, DENIS LAW,weblink Scottish Football Association, 25 May 2022, 30 May 2022,weblink live,

Individual

• Ballon d'Or: 1964
• World Soccer World XI: 1964WEB, McCracken, Craig, 29 April 2013, Eric Batty's World XI – The Sixties,weblink 7 February 2023, Beyond The Last Man, en, 22 June 2018,weblink live,
• European Cup top scorer: 1968–69WEB, Champions League » Top Scorer,weblink Worldfootball, 20 September 2014, 12 February 2023,weblink live,
• Football League 100 Legends: 1998WEB, Sport: Football Legends list in full,weblink BBC, 12 May 2016, 3 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160403131402weblink">weblink live,
• PFA Merit Award: 1975WEB, England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award,weblink England Football Online, 18 August 2014, 16 August 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180816194522weblink">weblink live,
• Scottish FA International Roll of Honour (players with 50+ caps): inducted in 1988WEB, Roll of Honour – Denis Law,weblink scottishfa.co.uk, 18 August 2014, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140819195350weblink">weblink live,
• FWA Tribute Award: 1994WEB, Awards – Previous Winners,weblink Football Writers' Association, 18 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100819165726weblink">weblink 19 August 2010, dead,
• Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame: 2002WEB, Hall of Fame – Denis Law (2002),weblink National Football Museum, 18 August 2014, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140425035408weblink">weblink 25 April 2014,
• Scotland's Golden Player: Most Outstanding Player of the past 50 years by the Scottish Football Association (November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee)WEB, Golden Players take center stage,weblink UEFA.com, Union of European Football Associations, 29 November 2003, 22 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20040312203128weblink">weblink 12 March 2004, dead,
• Scottish Football Hall of Fame: inducted in 2004WEB,weblink 2004, Scottish Football Museum, 17 August 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110928040649weblink">weblink 28 September 2011,
• PFA Team of the Century (1907–1976): 2007NEWS, England Boys of '66 dominate your Team of the Century: 1907–1976,weblink GiveMeFootball.com, Give Me Football, 28 August 2007, 18 May 2016, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081022110958weblink">weblink 22 October 2008,

• Freedom of Aberdeen, 2017WEB, Denis Law Freedom of the City, 27 November 2017,weblink Denis Law Legacy Trust, 23 November 2021, 23 November 2021,weblink live,

See also

• List of footballers in England by number of league goals (200+)
• List of Scotland national football team captains
• List of Scotland national football team hat-tricks

References

Notes

General

• BOOK, Denis, Law, Ron, Gubba, Denis Law – An Autobiography, Futura Publications, 1980, 0-7088-1902-8,
• BOOK, Denis, Law, Bob, Harris, The King, Bantam Press, 2003, 0-593-05140-8,

Specific

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• {{Scottish Sports Hall of Fame|denis-law-cbe}}
• {{SFA profile}}
• Photos & stats at sporting-heroes.net
• Short biography on the official Manchester United website
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060220101641weblink">English Football Hall of Fame Profile
• UEFA.com – Scotland's Golden Player
• BBC Archive Collections:Football Legends – Denis Law
• The Denis Law Legacy Trust

{{Navboxes|title=Awards|bg = gold|fg = navy|list1={{1964 World Soccer World XI}}{{Ballon d'Or recipients}}{{UEFA Champions League top scorers}}{{Inter-Cities Fairs Cup top scorers}}{{FWA Tribute Award}}{{UEFA Jubilee Awards}}{{Football League 100 Legends}}{{Scottish Football Hall of Fame}}{{English Football Hall of Fame}}}}{{Scotland squad 1974 FIFA World Cup}}{{Authority control}}

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