The road ahead will be hard... but I don’t want people to be saddened if I forget places, people or dates... because I am lucky to have a loving family, a great career and lifelong friends
THE King of Old Trafford is the latest player from his generation to be diagnosed with dementia.
Manchester United legend Denis Law, dubbed ‘The King’ for his formidable goalscoring prowess, has revealed he has Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia.
Law, 81, is the sixth member of the United squad that won the European Cup in 1968 to be diagnosed with the degenerative condition.
Sir Bobby Charlton’s family confirmed his diagnosis last year, just days after former team-mate Nobby Stiles passed away, while Tony Dunne, Bill Foulkes and David
Herd were also diagnosed before their deaths.
Other players, including England World Cup winning duo Jack Charlton and Martin Peters, and West Brom legend Jeff Astle, were also diagnosed with dementia, the trio since having passed away.
The revelation Law has joined the list of players from that era with dementia will increase calls for even greater research into the links between the condition and heading a football.
In a moving statement, Law revealed his diagnosis and said he had decided to go public with it in order to help others who are in a similar situation and their families. Law, who scored 237 goals in 404 games for United, spoke of how the condition affects his daily life and the emotional toll it has taken on him and his family.
“I am at the point where I feel I want to be open about my condition,” said Law.
“I have been diagnosed with ‘mixed dementia’, which is more than one type of dementia, in my case this being Alzheimers and Vascular dementia.
“This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone and the long periods of isolation have certainly not helped.
“It’s an incredibly challenging and problematic disease and I have witnessed many friends go through this.
“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.
“I recognise how my brain is deteriorating and how my memory evades me when I don’t want it to and how this causes me distress in situations that are beyond my
‘The time has come to tackle this head on, excuse the pun’
‘You hope 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’
control.” Law has previously spoken of his concerns at the impact heading a ball has on players, and revealed he would avoid doing so in training with Huddersfield Town, because he feared the implications.
Ex-Scotland star Law said: “I do understand what is happening. That is why I want to address my situation now, whilst I am able, because I know there will be days when I don’t understand and I hate the thought of that right now. I don’t want people to be saddened if I forget places, people or dates, because you need to remember I enjoyed all those memories and I am lucky to have experienced what I have in my life – a loving and supportive family, a great career doing what I loved and getting paid to do it, and lifelong friends. I have good days and bad days and aim to take each day as it comes, adjusting my lifestyle. “I am trying to be positive and determined to continue watching my club, Manchester United. I know the road ahead will be hard, demanding, painful and ask for understanding and patience as this will not be an easy journey, especially for the people who love you the most.”