Nicknamed “The King” by supporters of Red Devils well before Eric Cantona, Law first wore the colors of the enemy, Manchester City, between 1959 and 1961. After his debut at 17 at Huddersfield, launched by his compatriot and future legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. In 1961, he flew to Italy and Torino. There is only one season left. Thus began an eleven-year love affair with Manchester United.
One of the symbols of the rebirth of the Red Devils
Along with Best and Charlton, he embodies the club’s rebirth, undertaken by Matt Busby in the ashes of the Munich air crash in 1958 which cost the lives of eight players. Best, shoulder length brown hair, awesome player and sex symbol. Law, blond hair of a rock star, formidable surface fox. Charlton, receding hairline, leader and survivor of Munich. The magic trio have their statue in front of Old Trafford.
In the red jersey, the child from a modest Aberdeen family won an FA Cup in 1963, a Ballon d’Or in 1964, two league titles in 1965 and 1967 and a Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1968 , even if he was unable to play in the final against Benfica, suffering from a knee injury.
An ultra-complete player
Speed, anticipation, finishing, heading, cunning: Law’s range allowed him to score 237 goals in 404 matches and become the third top scorer in Manchester United history behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton.
The striker left United in 1973 to return to City for a season. On April 28, 1974, he scored his last goal in a match against his former club, which was relegated to the second division, regardless of this result.
The Scot ended his career with the 1974 World Cup, where he played only one match. In 55 caps, Law has scored 30 times and shares the title of top scorer with Kenny Dalglish. “He embodied everything a Scot can do. He was bold and courageous. He had bravery and style. He was a truly fantastic footballer,” summed up another Manchester United legend, Alex Ferguson, in 2009, recalling his first meeting with Law.
-An illness that had been eating away at him for years
In the summer of 2021, Manchester United and its supporters were moved when the player, described as “one of the club’s greatest legends”, announced that he was ill. “I’m at a point where I feel like I want to be honest about my health. I was diagnosed (…) with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia,” he revealed.
“It’s an extremely difficult and problematic illness and I’ve seen a lot of friends go through it. We always hope that it will only happen to others and we even joke about ignoring the arrival of the first signs, because we don’t want to admit that it’s true,” he confided.
“I don’t want people to be saddened if I forget places, people or dates, because you have to keep in mind that I enjoyed all these memories and I was lucky enough to experience all this that I have experienced in my life,” concluded the former Ballon d’Or.
