‘King’ Denis: Don’t be sad I’m tackling dementia...
MANCHESTER United legend Denis Law has revealed he is suffering from dementia – the latest in a series of ex-players diagnosed with the condition.
The 81-year-old – dubbed The King for scoring 237 goals in 404 games alongside George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton in their 1960s heyday – said: ‘This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone and the long periods of isolation have certainly not helped.
‘You hope that it won’t happen to you, even make jokes about it whilst ignoring the early signs because you don’t want it to be true.
‘You get angry, frustrated, confused and then worried – worried for your family, as they will be the ones dealing with it. However, the time has come to tackle this head on, excuse the pun.’
Aberdeen-born Law (inset) – European Footballer of the
Year in 1964 – also starred for Huddersfield Town, Manchester City and Torino in Italy, and is Scotland’s joint top scorer. He said he was ‘ trying to be positive’ and didn’t want people to be saddened if he forgot things because ‘ I’m lucky to have experienced what I have in my life’. The revelation comes amid two studies supported by the Football Association on suspected links between brain damage and the long-term impact of heading footballs. England’s 1966 World Cup winners Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton, Ray Wilson and Martin Peters and others have died from dementia, while 83-year-old Sir Bobby was also diagnosed recently. In a statement, Law revealed that he was suffering from a combination of Alzheimer’s and the vascular form of dementia.
Law – made a CBE in 2016 for services to football and charity – said his family would raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Its chief executive Kate Lee said: ‘We are incredibly thankful to the family for choosing us and hope Denis’s bravery in coming forward will encourage many others to seek help they need.’ United said: ‘We applaud Denis’s brave words and will continue to offer whatever support we can as he adapts to this challenging condition.’