Denis Law was Scottish football's first superstar but Man Utd 'gardener' nickname showed he was man of the people

Fifty years ago I used to ghost write Denis Law’s weekly newspaper column for purely Scottish consumption.

It was the thrill of a then young man’s lifetime because Denis was technicolor in a black and white world. The Lawman, as he was known in those innocent days, was Scottish football’s first superstar even though he never played professionally in the country of his birth.

That shock of blond hair. The panther-like quality of his chance-taking in the penalty box – the place he came alive. The cuff of his jersey raised in that trademark goal celebration. Denis went his own way on his own terms. Like the time the BBC thought it would be a good idea to put a television camera inside his hospital bedroom to capture his reaction as Denis watched Manchester United play Benfica in the European Cup Final at Wembley in 1968. It was an occasion Denis had to miss as he was recuperating after a knee op.

The Beeb were told in no uncertain terms what they could do with their camera crew. Denis was far kinder to his compatriots, even those who were still wet behind the ears in journalistic terms.

I was told to meet him outside an Italian restaurant in the Deansgate area of Manchester and he arrived, on time, looking like the force of nature he was in real life. He swept into the restaurant and the place came to a standstill.

Lunchtime diners were moved from their table so that Denis and his awe-struck companion could have the best seats in the house. Denis, of course, had gone to Manchester United from Torino and the local Italian community treated him as he would have been looked after if he’d gone home to Aberdeen.

Sunday evening at five o’clock was the arrangement we came to for discussing by telephone what should be in his