Who was Denis Law: Torino, Manchester City, United, Best

Talent experienced as a gift, the natural ability to seek beauty in every gesture. And then that disheveled elegance that the champions of his generation had, who went through the 60s celebrating imagination in power. Denis Law has passed away, he was 84 years old. For British football he was an icon, in Italy we only had the pleasure of seeing him for one year: 1961-62, at Turin. They called him The King, because that was it: an uncrowned king, accompanied simply by his passion for football. Scottish from Aberdeen, he had a loving relationship with the ball. His dribbles, sometimes electric and sometimes harmonious, remained fixed in the collective memory for a long time. Everywhere, not just in Britain. Suffice it to say here that another champion, the Dutch Dennis Bergkamp, ​​is named after him. His father was enchanted by Law’s prowess, so – with the newborn child – he left home, went to the registry office and called him Dennis, adding an “s” so as not to confuse the pronunciation with the feminine Denise.

notice board

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In Law’s trophy cabinet, the Ballon d’Or shines brighter than other trophies, won in 1964 (the only Scottish player to do so, as the one he considered his heir, Danny Dalglish, only came 2nd years later), beating two Spaniards: Luisito Suarez , at the time playing for Inter, and Amancio from Real Madrid. He played for the two Manchester teams in a city of terraced houses, chimneys and low skies. City at the beginning and end of their career, United in their most brilliant years, culminating in the conquest of an FA Cup (1963), two Charity Shields (1965, 1967), two national titles (1965, 1967) and – above all – the Cup of Champions won in a fateful year, 1969, in the fabulous team that included two other legends, Bobby Charlton and George Best: together they formed a legendary trio, for the joy of the coach, Matt Busby, and the people of the Red Devils. By the way, it is said that Busby, before the matches, took the three champions aside and told them: “Go on the pitch and tear them to pieces”.

talent

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Best respected him greatly, recognized his vivid, special talent. He said of Law: “Denis and I speak the same language.” A language made of dribbling, out-of-print inventions, poetry to recite every time the ball ended up at their feet. The Scotsman was a number 10 with the pace of a midfielder, a disguised centre-forward, capable of scoring more than 330 official goals throughout his career – which began in 1956 with Huddersfield Town and ended in 1974 with City – 30 of such as with the Scotland shirt (record for the Tartan Army on a par with Dalglish), worn for sixteen long years. In the 1969 edition of the Champions Cup he closed with double satisfaction: in addition to the cup, he also won – with 9 goals – the title of top scorer. But the goal that entered history, his personal one and that of the city of Manchester, Law scored on 27 April 1974, in the last year of his career. He had returned – after the fabulous years with the reds – to City. And in a derby at Old Trafford he scored the winning goal, scoring it with a back heel, condemning – the twist of fate – United to relegation to the Second Division.

the grenade intuition

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He arrived in Italy in 1961, at just twenty-one years old. Torino bought him from Manchester City, together with teammate Baker. The intuition came from the great Gigi Peronace, who saw the spark of a champion in the boy and took him to Inter, who had first optioned him. The Granata club paid him 110,000 pounds. A good investment, partially repaid: 27 league appearances, 10 goals, but also many breaks. Looking back at the film of his season in Serie A, one has to say that it was a great missed opportunity. There are many misunderstandings. Law didn’t understand Italy, he wasn’t committed. He didn’t settle down. And to say that he had started the championship well, so much so that he impressed the lawyer Agnelli who “booked” him for Juventus. But then he disappeared. Once, years later, he said that he loved everything about our country. The people, the food, the sunny days. Everything but football. “It was far too defensive”. Of course, too defensive. Those were – it must be said – the years of the lock, of the highly armored defenses, of the stoppers who followed the opposing center forward right into the changing rooms. He was also penalized by a dramatic accident, which could have had fatal consequences.

hospital

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One evening he was in the car, an Alfa Romeo, together with Baker: he was at the wheel and at an intersection he took the road in the opposite direction to that of travel, when he realized the mistake he tried to remedy it with an improvident and reckless maneuver , but the car overturned and the two footballers ended up in hospital. He didn’t even bond with his teammates, much less with the coach, Benjamin Santos. Legend has it that – during a match against Napoli – it was Santos himself who urged Law’s expulsion, loudly asking the referee for it, who finally carried it out. Santos was angry because Law had not followed his tactical instructions. Legend, sure. When he left Italy, returning to his homeland, he began to shine with his own light again. In 1962 he married Diana, his lifelong partner, who bore him five children. After retiring Denis Law worked for a long time as a commentator. The memory of him remains as a smiling champion, with blond hair blowing in the wind, the arrogant air of someone who – in those years – could afford to make a small, big revolution with the ball.