Tributes flow for Manchester United legend Denis Law after his death aged 84

Manchester United legend and Scottish international footballer Denis Law has passed away at the age of 84. Law, the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d'Or, had his death announced by his family in a statement released by Manchester United on Friday evening (Australian Eastern Time). He had been diagnosed with dementia in 2021.

The statement read: "It is with great sadness that we inform you that our father, Denis Law, has passed away. He fought a long and hard battle but ultimately passed away peacefully. We would like to thank all the people who contributed to his wellbeing and care, both in the past and more recently. We know how much he was loved and supported and this love has been appreciated and played a vital part."

Law was forever linked with Bobby Charlton and George Best, their "Holy Trinity" forward line leading Manchester United to English league titles in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968 – the first time an English club had achieved the feat. Manchester United said in a statement: "Everyone at Manchester United is deeply saddened by the passing of Denis Law, who was the King of the Stretford End."

The Manchester United statement also mentioned, “With 237 goals in 404 appearances, he will forever be remembered as one of the club's greatest and most adored players. An ultimate goal scorer, his talent, spirit and love of the game made him a hero to a generation." Law, Charlton and Best were named European Footballer of the Year and awarded the Ballon d'Or in five seasons between 1964 and 1968. They have a joint statue at Old Trafford.

Law’s 46 goals in the 1963-64 season remains a Manchester United single-season record. His 237 goals for the club are only surpassed by Charlton and Wayne Rooney, but he had a higher goals-per-game ratio. However, a goal he scored for Manchester City is perhaps his most famous. Late in his career, while playing for Manchester City, Law scored at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the 1973-74 season against Manchester United.

His late goal, with what he insisted was a “fluke” backheel, condemned Manchester United to a 1-0 defeat and helped ensure their relegation to the Second Division just six years after being crowned champions of Europe. Law did not celebrate his goal, and he was substituted with his head bowed as Manchester United fans invaded the pitch before play restarted. His 30 goals for Scotland are tied with Kenny Dalglish, but he took just 55 games compared to Dalglish’s 102.

Affectionately known as “The Lawman”, Law left his home in Aberdeen in the north of Scotland as a skinny, myopic 15-year-old. He became a fearsome penalty box predator and a pioneer in the modern world of European football. At the age of 22, Law was signed for record English transfer fees by both Manchester United and Manchester City, and he also spent a season in Italy – a culture shock at the time, though he disliked the defensive nature of Serie A.

He returned from Turin in 1962 to begin an 11-year spell at Old Trafford that helped re-establish Manchester United as an international force under manager Matt Busby. Law joined a club still rebuilding from the Munich air disaster four years earlier, which had claimed the lives of most of Busby's then-first-team squad. Law's prolific goal-scoring helped Manchester United win the FA Cup in 1963, their first trophy since the Munich disaster, and then two league titles in three seasons.

Busby’s Manchester United became champions of Europe a decade after the tragedy, a redemption of sorts. Though Best and Charlton both scored in the final, a 4-1 extra-time win over Benfica, Law missed the match at Wembley Stadium in London due to a knee injury that plagued him throughout his career. He had his own iconic Wembley moment a year earlier. He scored Scotland’s first goal in a 3-2 win over England, England’s first loss since winning the 1966 World Cup final nine months earlier.

A proud Scotsman, Law refused to watch the final on television. He went to play golf instead. Law finally played in a World Cup at the very end of his career, at the 1974 tournament in West Germany. The then-34-year-old Law was selected for Scotland’s opening match, a 2-0 win over Zaire. He was not selected for the subsequent drawn matches against Brazil and Yugoslavia that saw Scotland eliminated.

Law chose to end his playing career in August 1974, by which time he had etched his name into football’s goalscoring history. After his playing career, Law worked as a television football commentator and presenter, and he remained in the public eye, spending the final hours at the bedside of Best before the Northern Irishman died of alcohol-related illness in 2005. Law recovered from prostate cancer and was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 for his contributions to football and charity.

Four years ago, when his dementia was made public, he said: “It is an incredibly challenging and problematic disease and I have witnessed many friends go through this. I recognize that my brain is deteriorating and my memory is escaping me when I don’t want it to, causing me distress in ways beyond my control.”