Denis Law, Manchester United player

To many supporters, Denis Law was the favourite member of ‘The United Trinity’. He was a goal-scorer who combined speed and skill with courage and aggression.

Denis Law was born in Aberdeen in 1940. He was spotted playing schools football and sent for a trial at Huddersfield Town. At fifteen, he didn’t look much like a footballer: he was skinny and had a squint. In 1956 he became the youngest player ever to play for Huddersfield Town when he made his debut aged just sixteen years and ten months. He stayed at Huddersfield for four years and was then transferred to Manchester City for a then record fee of £55,000. After just over a year, Law left English football to play for Torino in Italy. This didn’t prove a happy experience and he was soon eager to return. Matt Busby was keen to sign him, but Chairman, Harold Hardman, hesitated as it would require payment of a record fee. Busby persuaded him, and Denis Law signed in August 1962 for £115,000.

Law helped transform Manchester United into the successful team of the 1960s. In his first season, 1962-1963, Manchester United won the FA Cup. In his second, 1963-1964, they were runners-up in the League, with Law scoring more goals in a season (forty-six) than any Manchester United player before or since. Recognised that year as one of the best players in Europe, Law was voted European Footballer of the Year. He was club captain for the next three seasons. In 1964-1965 Manchester United were champions, in 1965-1966 they reached the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the European Cup, and in 1966-1967 they were champions again. In 1967-1968 Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup. Unfortunately, Law could only watch the final from a Manchester hospital bed, having just had an operation on his knee. He played on at Old Trafford for another five seasons, but without the success of his earlier years. He was often troubled by injuries and frequently played without being fully fit. In 1973 he was given a free-transfer and signed again for Manchester City. He played just one season, scoring an infamous goal against Manchester United in a game that saw United relegated to Division Two. Law retired at the end of the 1973-1974 season. Between 1958 and 1974 he also played fifty-five times for Scotland and scored thirty goals.

Denis Law was an accomplished goal-scorer. He was extremely quick in the penalty area and had an excellent touch with either foot. He was a powerful header of the ball and had a prodigious leap. Though slight in comparison to burly defenders, he played without fear. There was an aggression in his game which, combined with his fiery temper, sometimes brought him trouble. He was sent-off and suspended on various occasions. To certain supporters, these brushes with authority made him even more popular. To them he was ‘The King’ and ‘The Lawman’. In the second half of his career, injuries limited his appearances. Had he been able to benefit from current medical knowledge and facilities, he would surely have scored even more goals for Manchester United. His characteristic goal gesture - arm raised, finger pointing, shirt-cuff clutched - has been perfected captured in Philip Jackson’s sculpture ‘The United Trinity’.