It was a sad day for those involved in the beautiful game on Tuesday afternoon as family, fans and footballers from down the generations gathered to pay tribute to Scotland and Manchester United legend Denis Law.
Following the announcement of his sad passing last month aged 84 years old, around 750 mourners attended his funeral at Manchester Cathedral to pay their final respects to one of football’s undoubted greatest of all time. The phrase the GOAT gets bandied around far too often in the modern game, but when we are talking about the calibre and talent of someone like Law, it is truly deserved.
That was epitomised with more than 1000 fans gathering at Old Trafford and lining the streets to applaud as his cortege passed the stadium, pausing for a period of time at the Trinity statue where he has been immortalised in Red Devil’s history alongside fellow legends Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best.
For those fans of a certain experience, they will need absolutely no introduction The Law Man and what he was capable of producing on the hallowed turf, and whilst many of a less experienced vintage will have been introduced to his talent from their parents, wider family members or grandparents, for anyone simply discovering his skills for the first time, you just need to know that he is the only Scotsman to be named the world’s best player and to lift the Ballon d’Or.
It was by no means his only success in the game and as well as scoring 30 times for Scotland having been capped on 55 occasions in total, he played an instrumental part in the trophies that United lifted in the 1960’s – two First Division titles, an FA Cup, two FA Charity Shield’s and the historic European Cup.
Football stars of the past and present were at his funeral to pay their respects to the great man and having represented City on two occasions in his playing career, former colleagues Joe Corrigan and Mike Summerbee were also in attendance.
In amongst all the tributes that have been paid to both the man and the career that he enjoyed, along with all the achievements and the success that he had, many will simply believe that Brazilian great Pele summed it up best.
When asked if there was a British player that would get into that sublime Brazilian side, he answered Denis Law.
High praise indeed, and a fantastic tribute to the wee man – few who saw him in full flow would disagree.