Denis Law was ‘cornerstone’ of Manchester United success – Sir Alex Ferguson
Law won two league titles with United and was a member of their European Cup-winning team under Sir Matt Busby in 1968.
Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed Denis Law as the “greatest Scottish player of all time” and described him as the “cornerstone” of Manchester United’s success.
Law, who won two league titles with United and was a member of their European Cup-winning team under Sir Matt Busby in 1968 when they became the first English club to lift the trophy, died on Friday aged 84.
Law won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 – the only Scottish player to do so – and claimed 55 caps for his country.
“He was a fantastic player and an incredible human being. The great thing is that he did not use his fame, he was so level-headed and down to earth and we are talking about a guy who had all of these caps for Scotland and is called the ‘King of Old Trafford’.
“It is an interesting thing because why did they call him the King? You had guys like George Best, Bobby Charlton – the greatest English player of all time and a fantastic player for our club – and they called Denis ‘the King’.
Law made the move to Old Trafford from Torino in 1962 before going on to score 237 times, the club’s third-highest scorer in history behind Wayne Rooney and Charlton.
A year after he claimed the 1964 Ballon d’Or, Law helped fire United to their first Division One title since the Munich Air Disaster.
Having already won the FA Cup in 1963, Law inspired United to another league title in 1966-67 before Busby’s side’s greatest achievement – European Cup glory – against Benfica.
Law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 2021.
Ferguson, 83, speaking to the United club website, continued: “I went to see him a couple of months ago and he was not doing well.
“When he joined us, he turned the club around and that is the greatest thing he could have done.
“Sir Matt was recovering from the Munich Air Disaster and they won their first trophy in 1963, shortly after they signed Denis. He was so vital to the renovation of the team. He was a cornerstone of the club’s future success.”
