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 heavy hearts that we announce that our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a difficult battle, but he is now at peace,” his family said in a statement.
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.
-Nicknamed “The King”
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 “The King” or “The Lawman” by United supporters, he wore the Scottish team jersey 55 times after making his international debut at just 18 in 1958. Ballon d’Or in 1964, To this day he remains joint top scorer in his country’s history with 30 goals, with Kenny Dalglish, another Scottish legend who notably played for Liverpool.
