Future King: Denis Law backs Wayne Rooney to become Manchester United's top scorer of all time
Denis Law and Wayne Rooney Denis Law is backing Manchester United strikerWayne Rooney to become the all-time king of Old Trafford.
And he believes the England strikers quest to be ranked alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world will see United close the gap on European champions, Barcelona.
Legendary striker Law has been nicknamed the king by United supporters ever since his incredible goal-scoring exploits in Sir Matt Busbys all-conquering team of the 60s.
He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964.
As part of the famous Holy Trinity with Bobby Charlton and George Best he won two league titles, but was injured for the European Cup triumph over Benfica in 68.
Law has been immortalised in the form of a bronze statue alongside Charlton and Best, which sits proudly outside Old Trafford, which is a measure of the esteem in which he is held by the club.
But he is convinced Rooney is on the way to eclipsing every United legend from Duncan Edwards to Eric Cantona.
He could be the top the greatest of them all, said Law. I said when he first came to the club that if he stays away from injury he will probably turn out to be Uniteds highest scorer ever.
This year hes got off to a flying start and he looks like hes going to get a hat-trick every game. When youre in that form and scoring goals, you feel like you cant miss.
Thats bad news for Norwich tomorrow, with Rooney expected to return from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of Uniteds draws with Stoke and Basle.
Before that injury he was in the form of his life with nine goals in his first six games of the season including two hat-tricks in successive games, against Arsenal and! Bolton.
That has seen him move to within 11 of Laws all-time United record of 18 hat-tricks which is yet another target he expects Rooney to surpass.
At this rate, that doesnt seem like a great deal given the way hes playing, said the 71-year-old.
Football is like that. Hes got so much confidence at the moment.
When you think about last season, hed had an ankle injury and he wasnt at the top of his game. I went through the same myself as a player. But when its going well, the confidence goes through the entire team.
It is difficult to explain it but you just feel as though he is going to score every game. Apart from being a United icon, Law is also Fergusons all-time favourite player.
As far as Im concerned, Denis Law is the best Scottish player of all time, bar nobody, writes Ferguson in Laws new book, My Life in Football.
Anyone who has the slightest doubt about his stature in the game might care to heed the words of no less eminent judge than Pele, who once said that the only British player who could possibly get into the Brazil team was Denis Law.
Just this month the United manager compared Rooney to Pele.
But the striker, who has scored 156 goals in 328 games for United, has more immediate rivals in the form of Messi and Ronaldo. Law sees comparisons with his own bid to emulate the greats of his day Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas and Busbys pursuit of the great Real Madrid side of that time.
Busby eventually led United to the European Cup. Now if Ferguson is to win a third Champions League trophy before he retires, he must rise to the challenge of Pep Guardiolas Barcelona, who defeated United in last seasons final.
You can already see with some of Uniteds passing this season, they are trying to copy Barcelona, said Law.
It will be difficult to do, but we did the same thing in our day in trying to copy Real Madrid.
They were dominating European football! too. My favourite players were Di Stefano and Puskas. We all wanted to be like Real.
They were everybodys favourite team. Barcelona are the same now and the way they played in the final just shows you how football can be played.
I was at Wembley and I know there wont have been any neutrals there. But even Manchester United fans would have to watch and admire this team.
I presented Messi with the European Player of the Year trophy a couple of years ago. I couldnt believe the size of him. Im not big, but he came up to about my chin. What a fantastic player.
In that final against United, he, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were just fantastic. Thats the way the game should be played.
When you talk about Messi and Ronaldo, you are talking about the two most exclusive, outstanding players in the world, added Law. But when you look back to the Champions League final the one part where United looked like Barcelona was Rooneys goal.
It was one of Barcelonas goals. It was one-two and then in the back of the net.
He will be in that category of the best players in the world if he keeps doing it at that level.
:: DENIS Law will be signing copies of his book: My Life in Footballon Saturdayat Waterstones in the Arndale Centre at noon.
Will Rooney become the Reds' all-time top scorer? Have your say.
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And he believes the England strikers quest to be ranked alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world will see United close the gap on European champions, Barcelona.
Legendary striker Law has been nicknamed the king by United supporters ever since his incredible goal-scoring exploits in Sir Matt Busbys all-conquering team of the 60s.
He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1964.
As part of the famous Holy Trinity with Bobby Charlton and George Best he won two league titles, but was injured for the European Cup triumph over Benfica in 68.
Law has been immortalised in the form of a bronze statue alongside Charlton and Best, which sits proudly outside Old Trafford, which is a measure of the esteem in which he is held by the club.
But he is convinced Rooney is on the way to eclipsing every United legend from Duncan Edwards to Eric Cantona.
He could be the top the greatest of them all, said Law. I said when he first came to the club that if he stays away from injury he will probably turn out to be Uniteds highest scorer ever.
This year hes got off to a flying start and he looks like hes going to get a hat-trick every game. When youre in that form and scoring goals, you feel like you cant miss.
Thats bad news for Norwich tomorrow, with Rooney expected to return from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of Uniteds draws with Stoke and Basle.
Before that injury he was in the form of his life with nine goals in his first six games of the season including two hat-tricks in successive games, against Arsenal and! Bolton.
That has seen him move to within 11 of Laws all-time United record of 18 hat-tricks which is yet another target he expects Rooney to surpass.
At this rate, that doesnt seem like a great deal given the way hes playing, said the 71-year-old.
Football is like that. Hes got so much confidence at the moment.
When you think about last season, hed had an ankle injury and he wasnt at the top of his game. I went through the same myself as a player. But when its going well, the confidence goes through the entire team.
It is difficult to explain it but you just feel as though he is going to score every game. Apart from being a United icon, Law is also Fergusons all-time favourite player.
As far as Im concerned, Denis Law is the best Scottish player of all time, bar nobody, writes Ferguson in Laws new book, My Life in Football.
Anyone who has the slightest doubt about his stature in the game might care to heed the words of no less eminent judge than Pele, who once said that the only British player who could possibly get into the Brazil team was Denis Law.
Just this month the United manager compared Rooney to Pele.
But the striker, who has scored 156 goals in 328 games for United, has more immediate rivals in the form of Messi and Ronaldo. Law sees comparisons with his own bid to emulate the greats of his day Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas and Busbys pursuit of the great Real Madrid side of that time.
Busby eventually led United to the European Cup. Now if Ferguson is to win a third Champions League trophy before he retires, he must rise to the challenge of Pep Guardiolas Barcelona, who defeated United in last seasons final.
You can already see with some of Uniteds passing this season, they are trying to copy Barcelona, said Law.
It will be difficult to do, but we did the same thing in our day in trying to copy Real Madrid.
They were dominating European football! too. My favourite players were Di Stefano and Puskas. We all wanted to be like Real.
They were everybodys favourite team. Barcelona are the same now and the way they played in the final just shows you how football can be played.
I was at Wembley and I know there wont have been any neutrals there. But even Manchester United fans would have to watch and admire this team.
I presented Messi with the European Player of the Year trophy a couple of years ago. I couldnt believe the size of him. Im not big, but he came up to about my chin. What a fantastic player.
In that final against United, he, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were just fantastic. Thats the way the game should be played.
When you talk about Messi and Ronaldo, you are talking about the two most exclusive, outstanding players in the world, added Law. But when you look back to the Champions League final the one part where United looked like Barcelona was Rooneys goal.
It was one of Barcelonas goals. It was one-two and then in the back of the net.
He will be in that category of the best players in the world if he keeps doing it at that level.
:: DENIS Law will be signing copies of his book: My Life in Footballon Saturdayat Waterstones in the Arndale Centre at noon.
Will Rooney become the Reds' all-time top scorer? Have your say.
Tweet
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