Denis ‘The Lawman’ Law

Denis Law, when will we see your like again? The sad truth is probably never. A Scotland international who formed part of the greatest forward lines there will ever be. A Scottish footballer that won the Ballon D’or as many times as Eusébio, as many times as George Best, as many times as Gerd Müller, as many times as Zinedine Zidane. There will never be another Denis Law.

Rightly regarded as one of the greatest ever Scottish players, Law was blessed with an almost supernatural goal-scoring ability. He could make the spectacular look effortless, as if all he needed to do to score was kick the ball. This talent served him well throughout his career: he scored 30 times for Scotland, equal with the great Kenny Dalglish – but Law managed it in half as many games.

He spent the bulk of his career at Manchester United, forming a partnership with other United legends such as Bobby Charlton and George Best. He is one of their all-time top goal scorers with an impressive 237 goals during his time there, including a record-setting 46 goals in one season. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo could better that.

He was born in Aberdeen in 1940. The youngest of seven children in a poor family, he was given his first pair of football boots by a neighbour. An avid football fan all his life, when he could afford it Denis would watch Aberdeen play, and when he couldn’t he would watch local amateur sides. His love for the game was such that he turned down a place at an Aberdeen grammar school to avoid having to play rugby. His dedication to the sport would be rewarded soon after.

As a young teenager Law showed great potential and played for the Scotland Schoolboy’s team. He was soon spotted by Archie Beattie, a scout from Huddersfield Town. Despite not impressing on his trial, having a small build and very poor eyesight, Law was signed by Huddersfield and would later have an operation to correct his squint. This helped his confidence greatly and improved his skill on the ball. Law made his debut for Huddersfield in a 2-0 victory over Notts County on Christmas Eve 1956, aged 16.

Scotland manager Matt Busby gave him his first international cap in 1958, and the 18-year-old Law hit the ground running with a debut goal in a 3-0 win over Wales. The promising young striker was highly sought after by many clubs in England and Huddersfield couldn’t afford to hold on to him. He eventually signed for Manchester City for a then-British record sum of £55,000 in 1960. His spell at Manchester City coincided with a poor run of results for the Scotland team, including a 9-3 defeat to England. He still played well at City but spent only one season there.

He wanted to play for a better team and moved to Italy to play for FC Torino. Law found life in Italy difficult. Like many players who moved there from England, he couldn’t adapt to the style of play and found it difficult to get along with manager Beniamino Santos. Furthermore the manner in which players were paid was less than generous so Law made less money in Italy than he’d expected. After falling out with the Torino management, Law looked set to be forced to move to Juventus but he refused and flew home to Aberdeen. Instead he signed for Manchester United in 1962, for a new British record of £115,000.

Law’s time at Manchester United marked the start of his prime. In his first season the club fought relegation and played poorly and inconsistently in the league. They fared much better in the FA Cup however, and Law scored the first goal in the 1963 final, won 3-1 by United, the first trophy Law would win in his career.

By his second season he was scoring prolifically; his skill, his agility and his pace helping him become one of the most clinical finishers in Europe. He finished the season as top scorer and became famous for his simple celebration: one arm raised in the air, finger pointed at the sky, hand clutching his sleeve.

His time at United was also marked by the occasional dispute about pay. United manager Matt Busby would make sure to publicly stand up to Law’s demands to set an example, despite acceding to them privately, with the press and the rest of the squad none the wiser. These minor altercations aside, Law continued to perform well for United.

His goals helped the team to their first post-Munich league win in 1965. This season was doubly successful for Law as he was named European Footballer of the Year ahead of Spanish legend Luis Suarez, becoming the only Scottish player to ever win the award, and it’s probably a safe assumption that will not change. However this was to be the peak of his career, and in the following season he aggravated a knee injury in a game for Scotland. This injury was to create problems for him for the rest of his career.

There were still high points, with Law’s help Manchester United were developing into a successful side. They won another league title in the 1967-68 season. Law also scored a goal in Scotland’s famous 3-2 victory over England at Wembley in the 1967 Home Championships, the match which made Scotland the unofficial champions of the world and won them the tournament. But the knee injury cost him his place in the squad for the 1968 European Cup final, which saw United win 4-1 against Benfica.

Matt Busby resigned the following season and United’s performances started to slip, Law had more trouble with his injury and the pain killing injections he was being given were causing serious permanent damage to his knee. His own performances suffered and he would never again find the form of a few years previously. The new United manager, Will McGuiness transfer-listed him but his injury problems deterred potential buyers.

He eventually left Manchester United in 1973 and rejoined Manchester City. He would play one more season of football with City before retiring. On the last day of the 1973-1974 season he scored with a back-heeled shot in the Manchester derby, a goal that would ultimately relegate his former team. Law chose not to celebrate this goal. He was immediately substituted and left the pitch with his head down. With no desire to be confined to reserve team football, this was Law’s last league match.

Scotland qualified for the World Cup that summer for the first time since Law made his international debut back in 1958. Despite having not played many first team games that year, Law was picked for the squad and played in Scotland’s 2-0 victory over Zaire. It was his last appearance for Scotland and he retired from the game that summer.

His status as a Manchester United legend is assured. There is a statue of him outside Old Trafford’s Stretford End and is fondly remembered by United fans as The King. He was also an inaugural inductee of the English football Hall of Fame, as recognition for his contribution to the game. His efforts for the Scottish national team have been rewarded too. He was named Scotland’s Golden Player by the SFA as part of UEFA’s Jubilee celebrations in 2003, awarded by national associations to the most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

Law was fiercely patriotic and famously couldn’t bear to watch the 1966 World Cup Final, choosing instead to play golf. When he was told about the result he described it as one of his blackest days. It is unfortunate that the peak of his career coincided with a time when the Scotland team were poor and did not qualify for any major international tournaments. For that reason Law’s Scotland career never reached its potential but he still scored many goals for the national side, including seven in two games against Norway. We could certainly use someone like him again.

This is probably the most disappointment thing about Law’s career, that he would play so well for Manchester United, be such an acclaimed striker with a devastating finishing ability and never really get an opportunity to play at a major tournament. By 1974 he was a shadow of the player he had been at his peak and was competing with Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan for a starting place in the team. We can only ponder what might have been, something that Scotland supporters will be well used to doing. Still, we’ll always have Wembley, 1967.

Better for us to concentrate on his tremendous achievements, his record-setting goal tallies, his international recognition, his skill, his status as an icon to one of the most iconic football clubs in the world and not the agonising realisation that Scotland will never have another player like Denis Law.

Legends Profile

Name: Denis Law
Born: 24 February 1940
Place: Aberdeen, Scotland
Position: Forward (Inside Left)
Clubs: Huddersfield Town [81 games;16 goals], Manchester City [68 games;30 goals], Torino [21 games;10 goals], Manchester United [404 games; 237 goals].
Internationals: Scotland – [55 caps; 30 goals].

Legends of Scotland: Denis Law was published in Issue 8 of The 12th Man Scottish Football fanzine.

Written by Andrew Harrow