Denis Law: The squinting kid who grew into giant of global game


The incredible story of Denis Law, one of the greatest footballers to grace the game, begins at Huddersfield train station when he was just 15 years old. Slim and bespectacled, Law was so small and inconsequential that his new club’s officials did not even spot him in the crowd. Nevertheless, Law would go on to become a giant of the sport, known as The King, with Pele calling him the only British player good enough to make the Brazil team.

Law was not just a goal scorer; he was also a playmaker and a total footballer, adored by his team-mates. With elegance, charisma and courage, Law was aggressive, had blistering acceleration and fantastic acrobatic ability with unerring accuracy when it came to scoring, both with his feet and head. Despite growing up with strabismus, a condition that left him with squint eyes and difficulty focusing, Law only got his first pair of football boots when he was a teenager.

After playing football for Huddersfield for a few years, Law moved on to Manchester City for a season and then to Torino for what was then a record fee for a British player. Law described his time in Italy as claustrophobic with the club restricting his freedom, while the media obsessed about him and opponents subjected him to brutal treatment. After one season, he moved to Manchester United where he formed part of the legendary trinity with George Best and Bobby Charlton. It was at United that Law won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 and scored 46 goals in 42 games.

The peak of Law’s international career was a game at Wembley in 1967 when he helped Scotland beat the then-world champions, England. Law was one of the most revered players on the planet by this time and was highly respected in his homeland. Law’s body began to fail him later in his career, and he eventually retired after the 1974 World Cup. Though his body could not keep up, his greatness was already established, and he will be remembered as one of the greatest footballers ever to have played the game.

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