
Denis Law: 'The Law Man' (1940 - 2025)
Denis Law a.k.a. 'The Law Man'; a.k.a. 'The King' ... let's see how in our Cray 150 football history books we have celebrated this remarkable footballer who sadly has passed away in mid-January at the age of 84.
In our Transistor Radio at the Wedding book of 1960s football nostalgia we wrote:
'George Best, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law, Bobby Moore … supreme soccer stars of the 1960s: never to be forgotten.'
Denis Law now becomes the last of those 'famous five' exceptional footballers to leave us. Here's a memory of him from The Guardian newspaper in 1974 penned by the marvellous veteran reporter Eric Todd. We cited in our Where Have All the Stars Gone book of 1970s football nostalgia that Law and Rodney Marsh were the goalscorers in a 2 – 0 win for Manchester City versus Leicester City. Eric Todd wrote of the veteran Denis Law, who had returned to Maine Road on a free transfer, fourteen years after his first spell at the club: ‘He was the sharpest man on the field. He can buzz with the best of them, and he can sting which is better still. He roamed the right wing with arm aloft demanding the ball. His goal in the 37th minute was a cunning shot into the left-hand corner of the net.’
The action photo was captioned: 'Master and pupil: Denis Law gives Manchester City the lead while Rodney Marsh looks on.'
Denis Law a.k.a. 'The Law Man'; a.k.a. 'The King' ... let's see how in our Cray 150 football history books we have celebrated this remarkable footballer who sadly has passed away in mid-January at the age of 84.
In our Transistor Radio at the Wedding book of 1960s football nostalgia we wrote:
'George Best, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law, Bobby Moore … supreme soccer stars of the 1960s: never to be forgotten.'
Denis Law now becomes the last of those 'famous five' exceptional footballers to leave us. Here's a memory of him from The Guardian newspaper in 1974 penned by the marvellous veteran reporter Eric Todd. We cited in our Where Have All the Stars Gone book of 1970s football nostalgia that Law and Rodney Marsh were the goalscorers in a 2 – 0 win for Manchester City versus Leicester City. Eric Todd wrote of the veteran Denis Law, who had returned to Maine Road on a free transfer, fourteen years after his first spell at the club: ‘He was the sharpest man on the field. He can buzz with the best of them, and he can sting which is better still. He roamed the right wing with arm aloft demanding the ball. His goal in the 37th minute was a cunning shot into the left-hand corner of the net.’
The action photo was captioned: 'Master and pupil: Denis Law gives Manchester City the lead while Rodney Marsh looks on.'

In our Transistor Radio at the Wedding book we noted how in the 1960s the twin cities of Liverpool and Manchester were big competing rivals for popularity and success in football and pop music alike. We wrote:
'Beatlemania exploded towards the end of 1962 becoming a national phenomenon by 1963 and on into the whole decade. The Beatles undoubtedly spearheaded the Mersey Beat pop craze that swept the nation but there were plenty more Liverpool bands too, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Merseybeats, the Searchers and the gloriously-named Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. But in parallel with the great football rivalry between the two cities, Manchester a.k.a. ‘Modchester’ boasted a lively pop music scene too, headlined by Freddie & the Dreamers, Herman’s Hermits and the Hollies.
Of the four great teams in the north-west, Liverpool under Bill Shankly had star players Ron Yeats, Ian St John and Roger Hunt while Manchester United under Matt Busby had George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. Everton and Manchester City also captured the Football League championship during the decade.
Our photo shows Manchester United being crowned Football League champions in 1965.
'Beatlemania exploded towards the end of 1962 becoming a national phenomenon by 1963 and on into the whole decade. The Beatles undoubtedly spearheaded the Mersey Beat pop craze that swept the nation but there were plenty more Liverpool bands too, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Merseybeats, the Searchers and the gloriously-named Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. But in parallel with the great football rivalry between the two cities, Manchester a.k.a. ‘Modchester’ boasted a lively pop music scene too, headlined by Freddie & the Dreamers, Herman’s Hermits and the Hollies.
Of the four great teams in the north-west, Liverpool under Bill Shankly had star players Ron Yeats, Ian St John and Roger Hunt while Manchester United under Matt Busby had George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. Everton and Manchester City also captured the Football League championship during the decade.
Our photo shows Manchester United being crowned Football League champions in 1965.