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English Football Legends Series

An exciting, unpredictable striker, Denis Law was a key member of Manchester United's great 1960s side which included George Best and Bobby Charlton.

Denis Law

Clubs: Manchester City, Manchester United

Position: Forward

Appearances*: 485

Goals*: 227

Honours: League Championship, 2
FA Cup, 1

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* League appearances and goals only

Law began his football career at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956.

"The boy's a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect - weak, puny and bespectacled."
Huddersfield Town manager, Andy Beattie

Manchester City and Torino

He spent 4 years at the Yorkshire club, attracting the attention of both Liverpool and Manchester United while he was there, but in 1960 he moved to Manchester City for a record fee of 55, 000 pounds.

He spent just one year at City before moving to Italian side Torino, for another record fee - 110, 000 pounds.

He did relatively well in Turin, scoring 10 goals in 27 appearances, but found it difficult to settle.

Manchester United

In 1962, he was on the move again as Manchester United paid another record fee - 115,000 pounds - to take him to Old Trafford.

Law joined a club still in the process of re-building after the Munich air disaster in 1958.

And although he got his career off to a flyer, scoring just seven minutes into his debut, the team was inconsistent, and they spent the season fighting relegation.

Success with United

They found form in the FA Cup though, beating Leicester City 3-1 in the final, with Law scoring the opening goal.

In 1963/64, United finished as runners-up to Liverpool, and the following season Denis Law was named European Footballer of the Year, and Manchester United won their first league title since Munich.

Law's 28 league goals that season made him the Division's top scorer.

In 1965, he injured his right knee while on international duty - it was an injury which would trouble him for the rest of his career, and would keep him out of the side that lifted the European Cup in 1968.

Decline

Matt Busby stepped down as United manager at the end of the 1968/69 season, ushering in a period of decline for the club.

In 1969/70, under McGuinness, they finished eighth in the league, with Law missing virtually the entire season through injury.

Frank O'Farrell took over as manager in 1971, and they made a good start to the 1971/72 season. However, results fell away and they again finished the season in eighth place.

Law made a scoring start to the 1972/73, but with his knee injury troubling him again, he failed to find the net for the rest of the season.

Tommy Docherty replaced O'Farrell in 1973, and gave Law a free transfer at the end of the season.

He had spent 11 years at the club scoring 237 goals in 404 games.

Re-joining City

Law moved back to Manchester City, and played in their 2-1 defeat to Wolves in the League Cup final.

That season he played 24 league games and scored 9 goals. The last of these was a back-heel against United at Old Trafford in City's final game of the season.

Law believed that the goal had relegated his old club, and he did not celebrate (it hadn't, United would have been relegated even if they'd drawn the match).

He was substituted immediately afterwards and left the pitch with his head down. It would be his last appearance in a club match.

Scotland International Career

Law made his international debut in 1958 aged 18, the youngest Scot to be capped since 1899.

He would make 55 appearances for his country, and his tally of 30 goals is equaled only by Kenny Dalglish.

Honours

Denis Law was an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

On 29 May 2008, a statue depicting United's 'holy trinity' of Best, Charlton and Law was unveiled at Old Trafford.

There is another statue of Law on the concourse of the Stretford End's upper tier

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