The Red Devils announced on Friday the death of Denis Law, aged 84. Winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1964, he won the English championship twice with United. He played more than 400 matches in 11 years in the Manchester jersey.
Former Manchester United star striker Denis Law, one of the main architects of the Red Devils’ rebirth and Ballon d’Or in 1964, has died aged 84, after years of battling Alzheimer’s disease , his family announced Friday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that our father Denis Law has unfortunately passed away. He fought a difficult battle, but he is now at peace,” his family said in a statement relayed by the club. In eleven years spent in the Manchester United jersey (1962-1973), the Scottish striker scored 237 goals in 404 appearances, which places him third behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton on the list of top scorers in the United history. He joined United from Torino at a time when the club was looking to bounce back from the Munich plane crash that claimed the lives of several players in 1958.
-His career at Old Trafford, crowned with two English championship titles in 1965 and 1967 as well as a European Champion Clubs’ Cup (1968), was praised by the club which named him alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best in front of his legendary stadium. The only regret: a knee injury forced him to miss the famous 4-1 victory over Benfica in the European Cup final at Wembley, a triumph which made United the first English winners of the trophy.
Nicknamed by United supporters “King of the Stretford End” (named after the Old Trafford stand where the atmosphere is the hottest) or “The Lawman”, he wore the jersey of the Scottish selection 55 times after making his international debut at just 18 years old in 1958. Ballon d’Or in 1964, he remains to this day co-top scorer in the history of his country with 30 goals, with Kenny Dalglish, another Scottish legend who passed through Liverpool in particular.
