Denis Law

Denis Law 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.

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 King[3] 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. He missed their European Cup 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 retired at the start of the 1974–75 season. 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.

Denis Law
CBE
Denis Law
Law in 2011
Personal information
Full name Denis Law[1]
Date of birth 24 February 1940 (age 78)[1]
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1960 Huddersfield Town 81 (16)
1960–1961 Manchester City 44 (21)
1961–1962 Torino 27 (10)
1962–1973 Manchester United 309 (171)
1973–1974 Manchester City 24 (9)
Total 485 (227)
National team
1959–1961[2] Scotland U23 3 (1)
1958–1974 Scotland 55 (30)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Law was born in Aberdeen, Scotland,[1] 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 flat at Printfield Terrace in Aberdeen.[4][5] 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.[4]

He supported Aberdeen and watched them when he had enough money to do so, watching local non-league teams when he did not.[4] 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.[4]

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.[6]

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.[7] 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 1957 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.[8]

Manchester City

In March 1960, Law signed for Manchester City for what was then a British record transfer fee, estimated to be £55,000,[note 1] although Law's share of the fee was "precisely nothing".[9] Once again, Matt Busby had attempted to sign Law for Manchester United, but United's cross-city rivals beat them to Law's signature.[4]

City had narrowly avoided relegation from Division I the previous season, and Law genuinely felt that Huddersfield had a better team at the time.[10] 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,[11] he was playing well and in 1961 Law scored an incredible six goals in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town. Unfortunately for him, the match was abandoned with twenty minutes to go, so his six goals didn't count. To make matters worse for him, Luton won the replay 3–1, and City were knocked out of the Cup.[12]

Although he enjoyed his time at City,[13] 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,[note 2] (a record fee for a transfer involving a British player)[14] and was accompanied by Joe Baker who had signed from Scottish side Hibernian.[15] 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.[4][15]

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.[4] However, Torino took performance-related pay to something of an extreme, giving the players bags full of money when the team won but little, if anything, when they lost.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18]

By April, he had put in a transfer request, which was ignored.[15] 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.[19] 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.[4] He eventually signed for United on 10 July 1962, for a new British record fee of £115,000.[note 3][4][14]

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.[15] 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.[15] 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.[15]

Manchester United

Glory years

Dennis law statue
Law as depicted on a statue at Old Trafford which honours him, George Best and Bobby Charlton as the "United Trinity"

Law 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]

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.[23] He later described this as the greatest honour of his career.[24] 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.[25]

In 1964–65, Law won the Ballon d'Or award,[26] and Manchester United won their first league title since Munich.[27] 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,[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] Despite all this, Law scored 23 goals in 36 league appearances during 1966–67, helping United win the league title again.[27][31]

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 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.[32]

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.[33] 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.[34]

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.[35] 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.[34][36] The club followed his recommendation, and things started well, with the team's improved results lifting them into mid-table.[34]

Return to Manchester City

Law was given a free transfer by Tommy Docherty in the summer of 1973,[34] 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.[37]

Law was then offered a contract by Manchester City manager Johnny Hart, scoring two goals on his debut against Birmingham City in the opening game of the season 1973–74.[38] 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.[39] 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.[34]

Law still had a contract with Manchester City, but new manager Tony Book told him that he would only be playing reserve team football if he stayed at the club in the new season. He did not want to end his career in this way, so he retired from professional football in the summer of 1974.[40] Law played two games for Manchester City in the season 1974–75, 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.[41] He formally retired on 26 August 1974.[42]

International career

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.[43][44][45] 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".[46] 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.[23]

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.[47]

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 didn't score, but Scotland won 2–0. Law was "very disappointed" not to be picked for the following match against Brazil,[48] 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.[49] 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.[50][note 4]

Personal life

He first met his wife-to-be, Diana, in an Aberdeenshire dancehall when they were both still teenagers.[51] They married in December 1962 and went on to have five children.[52] Their daughter, also called Diana, worked for several years in the Manchester United press office.[53][54] Their other children are Gary, Andrew, Robert and Iain. They also have five grandchildren, Emilia, Isla, Ollie, James and Harvey. Denis and Diana still live in the Manchester area.

Since retiring as a player, Law has often worked on radio and television summarising and presenting games. 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.[55]

Denis Law - "Legend" (geograph 3143626)
statue to Law in Aberdeen

Law 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.[56] He had a successful operation to treat prostate cancer in November 2003[57] and was awarded honorary degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen and St. Andrews in 2005,[58] and Robert Gordon University in 2017.[59]

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.[60] 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.[61]

On 25 November 2005, Law was at the bedside of former United teammate George Best as he died of multiple organ failure.[62]

In May 2008, at the City of Manchester Stadium, Law (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.[63]

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.[64][65]

Law was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to football and charity.[66] In 2017, Law received the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.[67][68]

Career statistics

Club

[31]

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other[69] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Huddersfield Town 1956–57 13 2 5 1 – – – 18 3
1957–58 18 5 2 1 – – – 20 6
1958–59 26 2 0 0 – – – 26 2
1959–60 24 7 3 1 – – – 27 8
Total 81 16 10 3 – – – 91 19
Manchester City 1959–60 7 2 0 0 – – – 7 2
1960–61 37 19 6 4 0 0 – – 43 23
Total 44 21 6 4 0 0 – – 50 25
Torino 1961–62 27 10 1 0 – – – 28 10
Manchester United 1962–63 38 23 6 6 – – – 44 29
1963–64 30 30 6 10 – 5 6 1 0 42 46
1964–65 36 28 6 3 – 10 8 – 52 39
1965–66 33 15 7 6 – 8 3 1 0 49 24
1966–67 36 23 2 2 0 0 – – 38 25
1967–68 23 7 1 0 – 3 2 1 1 28 10
1968–69 30 14 6 7 – 7 9 2 0 45 30
1969–70 11 2 2 0 3 1 – – 16 3
1970–71 28 15 2 0 4 1 – – 34 16
1971–72 33 13 7 0 2 0 – – 42 13
1972–73 11 1 1 0 2 1 – – 14 2
Total 309 171 46 34 11 3 33 28 5 1 404 237
Manchester City 1973–74 24 9 1 2 4 1 – – 29 12
Career total 485 227 64 43 15 4 33 28 5 1 602 303

International

[70]

Scotland national team
Year Apps Goals
1958 2 1
1959 4 0
1960 4 2
1961 3 2
1962 3 5
1963 7 11
1964 5 1
1965 6 2
1966 2 2
1967 3 1
1968 1 1
1969 2 0
1970
1971
1972 7 2
1973 3 0
1974 3 0
Total 55 30

International goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.[70]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 18 October 1958 Ninian Park, Cardiff  Wales 2–0 3–0 BHC
2 4 May 1960 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Poland 1–1 2–3 Friendly
3 9 November 1960 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Northern Ireland 1–0 5–2 BHC
4 26 September 1961 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Czechoslovakia 2–2 3–2 WCQG8
5 3–2 3–2
6 20 October 1962 Ninian Park, Cardiff  Wales 2–1 3–2 BHC
7 7 November 1962 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Northern Ireland 1–1 5–1 BHC
8 2–1 5–1
9 3–1 5–1
10 5–1 5–1
11 8 May 1963 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Austria 3–0 4–1 Friendly
12 4–0 4–1
13 4 June 1963 Brann Stadion, Bergen  Norway 1–1 3–4 Friendly
14 2–2 3–4
15 3–3 3–4
16 13 June 1963 Bernabeu, Madrid  Spain 1–1 6–2 Friendly
17 7 November 1963 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Norway 1–1 6–1 Friendly
18 2–1 6–1
19 3–1 6–1
20 6–1 6–1
21 20 November 1963 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Wales 2–0 2–1 BHC
22 21 October 1964 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Finland 1–0 3–1 WCQG8
23 10 April 1965 Wembley Stadium, London  England 1–2 2–2 BHC
24 23 May 1965 Silesia Stadium, Chorzów / Katowice  Poland 1–1 1–1 WCQG8
25 2 April 1966 Hampden Park, Glasgow  England 1–2 3–4 BHC
26 22 October 1966 Ninian Park, Cardiff  Wales 1–1 1–1 BHC / ECQG8
27 15 April 1967 Wembley Stadium, London  England 1–0 3–2 BHC / ECQG8
28 6 November 1968 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Austria 1–1 2–1 WCQG7
29 26 April 1972 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Peru 2–0 2–0 Friendly
30 20 May 1972 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Northern Ireland 1–0 2–0 BHC

Honours

Club

Manchester United

Individual

References

Notes
  1. ^ According to the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, that figure equates to about £1,200,000 in 2018.
  2. ^ This was roughly equivalent to £1.65 million at 2004 values, according to the retail price conversion utility at measuringworth.com.
  3. ^ This was roughly equivalent to £1.7 million at 2004 values, according to the retail price conversion utility at measuringworth.com.
  4. ^ Kenny Dalglish also scored 30 goals for Scotland, although he achieved this in 102 matches compared with Law's 55.
General
  • Law, Denis; Gubba, Ron (1980). Denis Law – An Autobiography. Futura Publications. ISBN 0-7088-1902-8.
  • Law, Denis; Harris, Bob (2003). The King. Bantam Press. ISBN 0-593-05140-8.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c "Denis Law". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Law, Denis - Scotland U23". FibaStats. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. ^ Law and Gubba (1980), p. 8.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i McCarthy, James (2 August 2011). "United Legends: Denis Law". Manchester United - Born Winners. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN 9781906783273. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Interview - Denis Law". The Scotsman. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  6. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 29.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 44.
  9. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 52.
  10. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 53.
  11. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 54.
  12. ^ Clayton, David (2002). Everything under the blue moon: the complete book of Manchester City F.C. – and more!. Edinburgh: Mainstream publishing. p. 126. ISBN 1-84018-687-9.
  13. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 55.
  14. ^ a b Crafton, Adam (30 August 2016). "Serie A titles, an air crash tragedy, Denis Law and Tony Dorigo: Who are Joe Hart's new club Torino?". Mail Online. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Denis Law - Gran Torino". Voices in Football. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  16. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 67.
  17. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 68.
  18. ^ Herbert, Ian (21 December 2012). "Denis Law: A foot in both Manchester camps". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  19. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 80.
  20. ^ a b "1963 FA Cup Final line up". mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  21. ^ Law and Gubba (1980), p. 67.
  22. ^ Law and Gubba (1980), p. 68.
  23. ^ a b Arruda, Marcelo Leme de (20 October 2015). "FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  24. ^ Law and Gubba (1980), p. 74.
  25. ^ "Legends we love: Denis Law". Man Utd. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Ballon d'Or Winners". About.com (Soccer). Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  27. ^ a b c d "Denis Law". 11v11.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  28. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 164.
  29. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 170.
  30. ^ Law and Harris (2003), pp. 170–1.
  31. ^ a b "Denis Law - Profile". MUFC Info. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  32. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 189.
  33. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 208.
  34. ^ a b c d e "The two sides of the Law". ESPN. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  35. ^ Jackson, Stuart. "Season 1971–72". rsssf.com. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  36. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 217.
  37. ^ "Newton Heath & Manchester United - All players - All goals". mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  38. ^ "Denis Law - Manchester City". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  39. ^ Manchester; The Greatest City. James, Gary. Polar Publishing, 1997. p222.
  40. ^ Denis Law – An Autobiography, p.162.
  41. ^ Manchester City match programmes, 1974–75
  42. ^ "Denis Law decides to call it a day". The Glasgow Herald. 27 August 1974. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  43. ^ Philip, Robert (14 November 2007). "Denis Law the king of Scotland lives in hope". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  44. ^ "NOW YOU KNOW: Denis scored on his debut for Scotland". Evening Times. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  45. ^ "Managers - Matt Busby". Scottish FA. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  46. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 112.
  47. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 178.
  48. ^ Law and Harris (2003), p. 108.
  49. ^ "Match Schedule – 1974 World Cup". planetworldcup.com. Retrieved 6 October 2007.
  50. ^ "Alltime Player Records (Scotland)". FitbaStats. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  51. ^ McGivern, Mark (10 April 2006). "Strong family bond can help Denis' wife". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  52. ^ Bhansali, Karan (8 January 2012). "Legends: Son Of The Red And Blue Of Manchester - Denis Law". Goal. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  53. ^ Borland, Ben (24 May 2009). "Running of Old Trafford is just family business for Di". Express. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  54. ^ Newman, Benjamin (13 December 2015). "Ex Man United press secretary Diana Law has become Gary Neville's shadow at Valencia". 101 Great Goals. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  55. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-13.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  56. ^ "Denis Law statue unveiled". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 22 February 2002. Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2005.
  57. ^ Ducker, James (11 December 2003). "How I beat prostate cancer: Denis Law". Manchester Online. GMG Regional Digital. Archived from the original on 28 July 2005. Retrieved 25 June 2005.
  58. ^ "Honorary degree for Law". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 11 November 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  59. ^ Morrice, Emma (14 July 2017). "Denis Law collects honorary degree as he returns to Aberdeen to open Cruyff Court". Evening Express. Aberdeen Journals. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  60. ^ Winner, David (1 February 2011). "Dennis Bergkamp: One-on-One". FourFourTwo. Haymarket Media. Retrieved 22 September 2013. My father was a Denis Law fan, not a Manchester United fan.
  61. ^ Smith, Alan (18 September 2007). "The brilliance of Bergkamp". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  62. ^ "'Beastie' Best was just like a younger brother". The Telegraph. 7 December 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  63. ^ "Your Chance to Meet Football Aid's New Patron – Denis Law". footballaid.com. Football Aid. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  64. ^ "Statue in Aberdeen moves Denis Law to tears". The Scotsman. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  65. ^ "Manchester United star Denis Law has statue unveiled at Aberdeen Sports Village". BBC News. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  66. ^ "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N9.
  67. ^ "Football legend Denis Law to get Freedom of Aberdeen". BBC News. BBC. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  68. ^ "Denis Law receives Freedom of Aberdeen". BBC News. BBC. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  69. ^ Includes appearances in other competitions, including the Charity Shield and Intercontinental Cup.
  70. ^ a b "Denis Law - Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  71. ^ "ERIC BATTY'S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
  72. ^ "Champions League » Top Scorer". Worldfootball. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
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External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Noel Cantwell 		Manchester United captain
1964–1968
Served alongside: Noel Cantwell (1964-67) 		Succeeded by
Bobby Charlton
1959–60 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 1959–60 campaign was Town's best season following their relegation from Division 1 4 years earlier. The main points of the season were the resignation of Bill Shankly, who would then lead Liverpool to greatness in his years in charge. Their FA Cup win over West Ham United in the third round replay at Upton Park, which would inadvertently lead to the departure of Denis Law to Manchester City for a record-breaking fee of £55,000.

1960–61 British Home Championship

The 1960–61 British Home Championship international football tournament saw a series of high scoring games, with 40 goals scored in just six matches - a ratio of 6.66 goals per game. England took the British title after a final match at Wembley in which they put nine goals past Scotland, who returned with three of their own. Teams in this period frequently fielded as many as five strikers, hoping to outscore opponents rather than rely on heavy defence. This tactic paid dividends, particularly for England, whose haul of 19 included seven for Jimmy Greaves, whilst both Bobby Charlton and Bobby Smith each scored in each of England's three games.

England had begun the tournament well, winning 5–2 against Ireland in Belfast, whilst the Welsh beat a tough Scottish side at home. Welsh hopes of tournament success were disabused in their second match, where England took them apart 5–1, whilst the Irish were again on the reverse of a heavy defeat, losing 5–2 in Glasgow against Scotland. In the tournament's final games, Wales beat Ireland 5–1 to claim second spot, leading to England and Scotland's dramatic finale.

Players at the tournament included a medley of stars from the 1950s, and young players who would take the 1960s by storm. This line-up included Danny Blanchflower and Peter McParland for Ireland, Ivor Allchurch and John Charles for Wales, Denis Law and Dave Mackay for Scotland and an England team including Bobby Charlton, Johnny Haynes, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Robson, some of whom would later win the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

1962–63 British Home Championship

The 1962–63 British Home Championship football tournament came after disappointment for the home nations in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, for which only England qualified, only to be beaten 3–1 in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The Home Championship was won by a Scottish team which dominated all their matches and whitewashed their opponents for the second year in a row as part of a period of temporary but pronounced dominance.

The Scots and English both started strongly, beating Wales and Ireland away respectively. This was followed with similar victories at home in the second fixture, England comprehensively outplaying Wales in a 4–0 win, whilst a Denis Law inspired Scotland hammered the Irish 5–1 with Law scoring four times. In the final games, Wales gained some points by beating Ireland, but the deciding match of the tournament was closely fought between England and Scotland at Wembley Stadium, from which Scotland emerged eventual 2–1 winners to claim the championship.

1962–63 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1962–63 season was Manchester United's 61st season in the Football League, and their 18th consecutive season in the top division of English football. They finished a disappointing 19th in the league, narrowly avoiding relegation, but also finished the season as FA Cup winners with a 3-1 win over Leicester City in the Wembley final. It was a successful first season at the club for record signing Denis Law, who scored 23 goals in the league and 29 in all competitions. The FA Cup win was United's first major trophy for six years and the first trophy they had won since the Munich air disaster.

1962–63 in Scottish football

The 1962–63 season was the 90th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 66th season of the Scottish Football League.

1963 FA Cup Final

The 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium (which was fully roofed for the first time) on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from David Herd, lifting the trophy for the third time, while City had now played in three FA Cup finals and had still yet to win the trophy. Ken Keyworth scored the consolation goal for Leicester.

1963–64 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1963–64 season was Manchester United's 62nd season in the Football League, and their 19th consecutive season in the top division of English football. United failed to win any major trophies this season, but they made a strong challenge for the three major prizes, finishing second in the league, reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. A notable debutant this season was 17-year-old Northern Irish forward George Best, whose debut came in the league against West Bromwich Albion on 14 September 1963. The highly promising Best turned out a total of 17 times for United that season, scoring four goals. Striker Denis Law had an outstanding season, scoring 30 goals in the league and a total of 46 in all competitions.

1964 Ballon d'Or

The 1964 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Denis Law from Manchester United, the first Scotsman to win this award.

1964–65 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1964–65 season was Manchester United's 63rd season in the Football League, and their 20th consecutive season in the top division of English football. They finished the season as league champions for the sixth time in their history, with teenage winger George Best making headlines by establishing himself in the first team and finding the net 10 times in the league and 14 times in all competitions, though Denis Law was once again the club's top goalscorer with 28 goals in the league and 39 in all competitions.

1966–67 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1966–67 season was Manchester United's 65th season in the Football League, and their 22nd consecutive season in the top division of English football. They finished the season as league champions for the seventh time in their history and the fifth under the management of Matt Busby, but this would be their last top division title for 26 years.

United's top scorer this season was Denis Law, with 23 in the league and 25 in all competitions.

1967 FA Charity Shield

The 1967 FA Charity Shield was the 45th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match held between the winners of the previous season's Football League and FA Cup competitions. The match was contested by Manchester United, who had won the 1966–67 Football League, and Tottenham Hotspur, who had won the 1966–67 FA Cup, at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 12 August 1967. The match was drawn 3–3, which meant that the two clubs shared the Shield, holding it for six months each. Bobby Charlton scored two goals for United, while Denis Law scored their third. Jimmy Robertson and Frank Saul scored for Spurs, but the match is most famous for Tottenham's second goal, which was scored by goalkeeper Pat Jennings. Ball in hand, Jennings punted it downfield, only for it to bounce in front of United goalkeeper Alex Stepney, over his head and into the goal.

1967–68 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1967–68 season was one of the most successful seasons in Manchester United's history, as the team beat Benfica 4–1 in the final of the 1967–68 European Cup to become the first English team to win the competition. The team was led by manager Matt Busby. Despite the European Cup success, United finished second in the First Division, two points behind local rival Manchester City after losing the last game of the season against Sunderland.

The 1967–68 season was a breakout year for winger George Best, who led the team with 28 goals in the First Division and 32 goals overall, being voted European Footballer of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year. Four other players scored double-digit goals during the campaign: Bobby Charlton (20), Brian Kidd (17), Denis Law (11), and young winger John Aston, Jr. (10).

1968 Ballon d'Or

The 1968 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to George Best on 24 December 1968.Best was the first Northern Irish national to win the award. He was the third Manchester United player to win the trophy after Denis Law (1964) and Bobby Charlton (1966).

1968–69 Manchester United F.C. season

The 1968–69 season was Manchester United's 67th season in the Football League, and their 24th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After the end of the season, on 4 June 1969, United manager Matt Busby stepped down as manager after 24 years as manager; he had announced his intention to retire on 14 January. He was replaced with Wilf McGuinness who only managed the team for a year and a half before Matt Busby returned as United manager for another six months.

George Best was United's top goalscorer in the league with 19 goals, although Denis Law added to his 14 league goals with a further 16 in the cups to reach a grand total of 30 goals in all competitions to top the club's goalscoring charts.

Huddersfield Town A.F.C.

Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

In 1926, Huddersfield became the first English club to win three successive league titles, a feat which only three other clubs have matched. The first two league titles were won under manager Herbert Chapman, who also led the club to the FA Cup in 1922. In the late 1950s the club was managed by Bill Shankly and featured Denis Law and Ray Wilson. Following relegation from the First Division in 1972, Huddersfield spent 45 years in the second, third and fourth tiers of English football, before returning to the top flight in 2017 under manager David Wagner.

Nicknamed The Terriers, the club plays in blue and white vertically-striped shirts and white shorts. They play their home games at the Kirklees Stadium.

Only an Excuse?

Only an Excuse? is an annual Scottish comedy sketch show that airs on BBC One Scotland each Hogmanay.

Starring actor and comedian Jonathan Watson, the show features impressions of some of Scottish football's great characters such as Denis Law, Tommy Burns, Barry Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Frank McAvennie, Walter Smith and Graeme Souness, as well as caricatures of the "stereotypical" Old Firm fan.

Progression of Scotland association football goalscoring record

This is a progressive list of football players who have held or co-held the record for goals scored for the Scotland national football team. The list begins with Henry Renny-Tailyour and William Gibb, who both scored in the 4–2 defeat by England in March 1873. The first official international game, contested by the same teams in November 1872, had finished goalless. The record is shared by Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish, with 30 goals each.

Scotland national football team 1960–79 results

This article lists the results for the Scotland national football team between 1960 and 1979.

United Trinity

In association football, the United Trinity or the Holy Trinity refers to the Manchester United trio of George Best, Denis Law, and Sir Bobby Charlton, who helped United become the first ever English club team to win the European Cup in 1968.

Charlton was a member of the Busby Babes, a group of talented young players brought through the club's academy by the eponymous manager Matt Busby and his assistant Jimmy Murphy, as well as club scout Joe Armstrong, who discovered Charlton in 1953, and Best in 1961, amongst others. Law arrived at the club from Italian team Torino for a club record £115,000 in 1962, having previously played for Huddersfield Town and rivals Manchester City.

Charlton made his debut on 6 October 1956, scoring twice in a 4–2 win against Charlton Athletic. Law made his debut on 18 August 1962, scoring in a 2–2 with West Bromwich Albion. Although Best made his debut against West Bromwich Albion on 14 September 1963, it wouldn't be until the reverse fixture on 18 January 1964 when all three would feature in the same starting line-up; a 4–1 victory in which all three scored, with Law scoring two of them.Throughout the 1960s all three would be voted as the winner of the Ballon d'Or, the trophy awarded to the world's best player. Law won in 1964, Charlton in 1966, and Best in 1968. Since then, only Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award while playing for United, winning in 2008. Combined, the players scored 665 goals in 1633 games. Manager Bill Shankly regaled how he once psychologically built up his Liverpool team ahead of a game against United; "I took the models of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best off the model pitch and put them in my left-hand pocket. Then I told our players: 'Don't worry about them, they can't play at all.' It was psychology, of course. Charlton, Best and Law were three of the best players in the world".

Best died on 25 November 2005, with Law and Charlton amongst the last to visit him in hospital. A year later, it was announced that a statue of the trio would be erected outside Old Trafford, which was eventually unveiled in 2008.In subsequent years, various triumvirates have been dubbed the new trinity, including academy graduates and one-club men Ryan Giggs–Paul Scholes–Gary Neville, who played in the senior team together between 1992 and 2011 and Cristiano Ronaldo–Wayne Rooney–Carlos Tevez, who played together at United when the team won the Premier League and reached the UEFA Champions League Final in two successive seasons between 2007 and 2009.

The Trinity featured in the design of Manchester United's 2017–18 third shirt.

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