Flower of Scotland was played during the funeral procession of Denis Law as hundreds lined the streets of Manchester to pay their respects.
The Manchester United icon, who scored 30 times in 55 caps for the national team, passed away at the age of 84 last month after a brave battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The Aberdeen -born goal scoring icon – hailed by many as Scotland’s greatest ever player and still the only Scot to win the Ballon d’Or – notched an incredible 237 goals in 404 appearances for the Red Devils. He also made himself a popular figure on the blue half of Manchester, enjoying two spells at Manchester City.
Around 500 invited guests packed out Manchester Cathedral, with thousands more fans lining the streets to give the Law the send off he deserved. People started to gather on the Old Trafford forecourt at around lunchtime while flags at the famous stadium were flying at half-mast in Law’s memory.
The hearse arrived at Old Trafford at around 1.10pm before the funeral procession headed down Sir Matt Busby Way, briefly stopping by the Holy Trinity statue. The procession then continued towards the cathedral, leaving Old Trafford from the Hotel Football end, as United supporters turned out in numbers to pay their respects to one of the club’s greatest ever players.
As the procession pulled onto the Old Trafford forecourt, supporters and United staff who had gathered began a round of applause. Some fans who spoke to the Manchester Evening News had tears in their eyes while they discussed what a great player Law was and what he meant to them.
As the funeral procession arrived at Manchester Cathedral bagpipers played the Scottish national anthem. A number of famous faces were among those in attendance, including Sir Alex Ferguson and former United players, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Bryan Robson – while Rod Stewart laid down a saltire floral tribute.
As the coffin was carried out of the hearse, the crowd gathered outside as they again broke into a round of applause in Law’s memory. The funeral service, which was expected to last around an hour, then began at 2pm.
Law passed away on January 17 with the Red Devils holding a touching tribute prior to their match with Brighton later in the month, as a piper led out the teams. He was the last living member of the club’s famous ‘Holy Trinity’ and fans laid down thousands flowers and shirts by the statue where he has been immortalised along with fellow late idols Bobby Charlton and George Best.
In the stands a King of the Stretford End’ banner was held aloft with United skipper Bruno Fernandes carrying a wreath onto the pitch, which was laid on the centre circle by Sir Alex Ferguson. Fergie – who was joined by Pat Crerand, Alex Stepney and Brian Kidd – paid his own tribute to Law before the Brighton game, praising the impact Scotland’s joint top all-time scorer made after the Munich air disaster of 1958.
He told MUTV: “He was the best Scottish player of all time. United had George Best and Bobby Charlton, but they called him The King. When he joined us in 1963 he turned the club around. That’s the greatest thing he could ever have done. The part he played at that time was so vital to the renovation of the team. I think most people always remember that signing from Italy. It was a cornerstone of their future success.”