Product Description

Law was European footballer of the year in 1964 and went on to win 55 caps for Scotland. Many of these were titanic clashes with the Auld Enemy, England, including the now legendary 3-2 defeat of the then World Cup-holders at Wembley in 1967. THE KING tells the story of an Aberdeen boy who rose to the very pinnacle of footballing excellence from humble beginnings. Packed with hilarious and revelatory behind-the-scenes stories and peopled by Law's fellow football legends like Matt Busby, George Best and Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law's book takes the reader back to the game's glory days. In so doing, we learn why, to his legions of fans, Denis Law was, and will forever remain, the King.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #165542 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 380 pages

From the Publisher
The stunning autobiography of the Manchester United and Scotland football legend

From the Back Cover
In the 1960s, Denis Law was the king of Old Trafford. A goal-scoring genius, Law attacked the game (and the occasional opponent) with a dedication and enthusiasm which held his legions of loyal subjects in devoted awe. The deadly triumvirate of Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton swept opposition from its path, and led Manchester United to win the FA Cup in 1963 and the League in 1965 and 1967.

Born in Aberdeen in 1940, Law played his first professional game for Huddersfield in 1956. He moved to Manchester City before being among the very first British players to play on the continent of Europe, joining Torino in 1961. It was in August 1962 that Law moved back to Manchester, this time to United, for a record transfer fee of o115,000. He immediately won the hearts of the Old Trafford crowd by scoring twice in his d'but game. Many more goals were to follow: 160 in 222 matches, many of them spectacular, all of them executed with Law's trademark panache.

Law was European footballer of the year in 1964 and went on to win 55 caps for Scotland. Many of these were titanic clashes with the Auld Enemy, England, including the now legendary 3-2 defeat of the then World Cup-holders at Wembley in 1967.

The King tells the story of an Aberdeen boy who rose to the very pinnacle of footballing excellence from humble beginnings. Packed with hilarious and revelatory behind-the-scenes stories and peopled by Law's fellow football legends like Matt Busby, George Best and Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law's book takes the reader back to the game's glory days. In so doing, we learn why, to his legions of fans, Denis Law was, and will forever remain, the King.

About the Author
Born in Aberdeen in 1940, Denis Law made his footballing debut for Huddersfield in 1956. He moved to Manchester City and then Torino before joining Manchester United in 1962, where he played until 1973 when he returned to City.

Customer Reviews

All Hail the King !
Born in Aberdeen in early 1940, Denis Law was the youngest child in a brood of seven. Small, scrawny and with a severe squint, he somehow grew up to become one of the greatest footballers Scotland has ever produced. He is probably best known as a member of the great Manchester United team of the 1960s, where he played alongside, among others, Bobby Charlton and George Best. Law was the first of the three to be crowned European Footballer of the Year. Signed by the legendary Matt Busby from Torino in 1962 for a then-British record £115,000, he also won two League Championships (64/5 and 66/7) and the F.A. Cup (62/3) with United. He played 55 times for Scotland, and is his country's joint leading scorer with Kenny Dalglish with 30 goals. Unfortunately, he missed the European Cup Final in 1968 through injury.

Law, of course, played for both Manchester clubs. While United signed him from Torino, the Italian club had signed him from Manchester City. Indeed, after being given a free transfer by Tommy Docherty in 1973, he returned to City. Docherty claimed in his own autobiography that he thought 'The King' wasn't worried about how he played and had stopped trying. He decided to give Law a free transfer - Law only found out about this while watching the television in an Aberdeen pub with friends. While Alex Stepney, Law's former team-mate at United, described it as a great injustice and an insult, "The King" is a little more circumspect - though it is clear how disappointed he was.

The following year, 1974, Law is widely credited with scoring the goal that relegated Docherty and United to the Second Division. United would have been relegated anyway, because of results in other games. How Law felt, however, about what he'd done is as obvious from his writing as it was from the television coverage. He finished his playing career that summer - his last professional match was for Scotland in the World Cup Finals.

This book will probably be passed over by most people who don't support either Manchester United or City. In my opinion, that would be a mistake for anyone who follows football. It's a very easily read biography, if a little too diplomatic at times, but Law did more than enough in his career to keep the reader interested. He played for two of Scotland's greatest managers (Shankley at Huddersfield and Busby at United), was one of the first British players to move to Italy (this section of the book is worth its price alone) and played alongside the likes of Kopa, Puskas, di Stefano and Yashin in a 'Rest of the World' selection. At club level, he played alongside George Best - a genius on the pitch and equally as famous for his off-field antics. Best, oddly enough, is the only player to merit a full chapter.