HE was the last survivor of Manchester United's “Holy Trinity”.
A legend, remembered in stone, his hand raised to the sky as he stands forever beside his two friends, in front of the ground he graced for so long.
And now that Denis Law has joined in the deaths of George Best and Bobby Charlton, a shadow will hang over the club.
Like his two greatest colleagues, 'The Lawman' was not born in Manchester.
His first steps were at Aberdeen and United was his FOURTH club – after Huddersfield, Manchester City and Torino.
While Charlton and Best both joined United as 15-year-olds, Law was 22 and already a seasoned international. Matt Busby, Scotland's interim boss, gave him his debut in 1958.
But from the moment he walked through United's doors, after paying a British record £115,000 transfer from the Turin club, he was at home.
Law scored a 2-2 home draw against West Brom just seven minutes into his debut, the first of 237 goals in 404 United games – a total surpassed only by Charlton and Wayne Rooney.
Busby later recalled: “When I signed Denis I knew we had the most exciting player in the game.
“He was the fastest thinking player I have ever seen, seconds faster than anyone else.
“Denis had the most amazing acceleration and could jump to enormous heights to head the ball with almost unbelievable accuracy and often the power of a shot.
“He had the courage to take on the biggest and fiercest opponents and his passing was impeccable.
“No other player has scored as many miracle goals as Denis Law.
“Goals that looked simple when Denis scored them were only simple because Denis put himself in position so quickly that opponents simply couldn't handle him.”
Rare praise, but words that echoed through the years and grew in power with each season.
What surprised many rival fans was Law's remarkable ability to hang in the air and levitate himself into the air before heading into the net.
In his first six seasons at United his WORST return was 24 goals, while in 1963/64 he scored an impressive 46 goals in just 42 games in all competitions – a season in which United failed to win any silverware.
During the previous season, his first at Old Trafford, he had scored the opener in the 3–1 FA Cup final victory over Leicester, the only time he would win the trophy.
And the following year, with Best integrated into United, Law scored 28 points in the league and 39 in total as United became champions for the sixth time, trailing Leeds on goal difference.
A second title would follow two years later, a 20-match unbeaten run that began the day after a Boxing Day defeat at Sheffield United, overcoming the challenge of Nottingham Forest and Spurs.
Law, top scorer again, was at the heart of it all, although a knee injury saw him miss out on being part of the crowning achievement of the Busby era, victory over Benfica in the 1968 European Cup.
It later emerged that he had not been told that a specialist was of the opinion that an operation on the cartilage of the knee had failed and had to be repeated.
The injury would haunt him for the rest of his career.
Law remained at United until 1973, where Best's focus disappeared and Charlton retired, before returning to City on a free transfer.
Nine months later he was at the center of one of football's most famously inaccurate 'facts'.
Legend has it that his heel strike at the Stretford End in the end-of-season Manchester derby sent United through the relegation trap.
In fact, they would have perished anyway because of the results elsewhere.
That summer, unlike Best, he only got the chance to play on the biggest stage of them all for one match.
But after a below-par performance in the narrow 2-0 win over Zaire, Willie Ormond left him out of the games against Brazil and Yugoslavia.
His international career ended after 55 appearances and a then record (now shared with Kenny Dalglish) of 30 goals and within weeks he had retired from the game, although he became a popular TV pundit.
Reflecting on his days at United, Law said: “When you play with great players the game is easier.
“I was very fortunate to be playing alongside some of the best players in the world at that time, and for probably the best manager in the world, so I was very lucky.”
Not as happy as those who got the chance to see him play. They still tell their children and grandchildren about him.
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