Alex Ferguson hails Denis Law as 'greatest Scottish player of all time'

Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed Denis Law as the “greatest Scottish player of all time” following the legendary forward’s death on Friday.

The former Manchester United, Aberdeen and Scotland boss also described Law, who remains the joint-record scorer for the national team, as the “cornerstone” of the Old Trafford club’s success.

Law 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.

He is also the only Scot to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or when he was named the best player in Europe in 1964.

“He was the best Scottish player of all time,” said Ferguson, who oversaw 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs during his remarkable trophy-laden spell as United manager.

“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’.

“It was something to do with the determination and the will to win every time he went on that football field. He was a really competitive human being and it was a natural thing for the supporters to associate with him as their 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.”