The stairs that led to a Barrhead field were a far cry from Old Trafford or Wembley. But every time a young Alex McLeish watched Denis Law on TV that’s where he headed.
Whether it was Manchester United ’s victory in the 1968 European Cup Final or when Scotland became unofficial world champions by beating England a year before – he was mesmerised by the iconic striker. He would batter a ball against those stairs near his home pretending it was a set of goals. McLeish didn’t just idolise Law – he wanted to BE him. That’s why the news of his passing on Friday hit the former Scotland manager hard.
As a player, he scaled heights himself as a player for Aberdeen and his country. Along the way, he got to meet The Lawman either at Scotland squad gatherings, trips to Manchester to see Sir Alex Ferguson – or more recently at a charity dinner in the Granite City. McLeish says Law would be worth a fortune in today’s transfer market. But it’s the legacy he’s left and the influence he had on young players like himself that he reckons is invaluable.
Law lost his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia at the age of 84. Incredibly, it was 57 years ago that he impacted McLeish’s life for the first time. He told MailSport : “I remember watching Denis at Wembley in 1967 with Scotland when we won 3-2 then a year later winning the European Cup with Man United.
“I’d have been eight or nine years old at the time and lived in Barrhead. I’ll never forget running out of our house after those games. We had a big set of stairs that led up to the field where me and my pals would play football.
“But before we got there, you had to go up these stairs. On the way, we’d make a goal out of the stairs. And I remember immediately after United won that European Cup, I ran out and was lashing the ball against those stairs. I was trying to emulate Denis – because that’s who I wanted to be at that time.”
On the pitch, Law might just be out on his own when it comes to Scottish football greats. A measure of his prowess is that McLeish calls him a genius.
He even mentions him in the same breath as the likes of Pele and Lionel Messi when it comes to his football awareness. But arguably, Law’s greatest quality was his humility, as Big Eck experienced many times.
He said: “I grew up watching Denis achieving some sensational feats with Manchester United and, of course, with Scotland. He was an absolute genius.
“So when I first met him, the thing I couldn’t believe was how ordinary a guy he was. You have an impression of superstars that they might be big-headed or aloof. But Denis was a gentleman. When I first started playing for Scotland, he was commentating on our games for TV.
“So we’d see him and I managed to strike up a good relationship with him. He’d be worth a lot of money in today’s game – he’d go for millions of pounds.
“Denis was a born goalscorer and a born entertainer. He had so much talent. He was born with an instinct in front of goal.
“And like all the world superstars and legends of the game – I’m talking about Pele and Messi – Denis had a terrific sense of what was around him on the pitch. These players have a countdown in their heads. So when the ball goes into the box, they know exactly when they have to meet it ahead of a defender.”
Law remains the only Scot to ever win the coveted Ballon D’Or, which he collected in 1964. He was a superstar of his generation. But McLeish believes his aura and influence carried on into future eras.
He said: “Denis’ career was obviously fading out just as I was becoming a professional. But here’s what tells you everything about Denis.
“All the great Scottish strikers that followed him, people like Ally McCoist and others, would have watched and learned from him. If you asked Coisty, I’m sure that he’d say he watched footage of Denis as a striker.
“He had a snapshot, he was two-footed and had speed. He could leap and hang in the air to score headers. You’d ask yourself: ‘How did he do that’? He was like a natural gymnast on the pitch. He was an absolute joy to watch on the pitch. And you could see that he enjoyed every minute of being out there.”
Law is joint-top of Scotland’s all-time scoring list with 30 goals, level with another legend Kenny Dalglish. Who was the best? That will be debated in this country forever.
McLeish is just glad he got to spend time with both. He said: “It’s always hard to single a player out as ‘the best ever’ because of different eras. Kenny was the best I ever played with, striker-wise. But Denis is certainly in a group of Scottish players who are the best of all-time.
“I’m sure people who know him better than me would say: ‘Alex, he was the best’, ahead of all of the legends. What I know is that Denis is a proper icon. And most importantly, he was always extremely humble whenever myself or my family were lucky enough to meet him.”