Manchester United great Denis Law has revealed he has been diagnosed with dementia.
The former United striker, who has scored 237 goals in 404 games for the Red Devils and is their third all-time all-time scorer, released a statement on Thursday announcing a diagnosis of “mixed dementia” – in his case, a combination of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
After former teammate Bobby Charlton was diagnosed in 2020, the former Scotland international becomes the last former footballer associated with the disease.
Law, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1964, wrote: “I’m at the point where I feel like I want to be open about my condition. I’ve been diagnosed with ‘mixed dementia’.
“It’s an incredibly difficult and problematic disease and I’ve seen many friends go through it. You hope this doesn’t happen to you, even make jokes about it while ignoring the first signs because you don’t want that. this is true.
“You are angry, frustrated, confused then worried, worried about your family because they are the ones who will take care of it.”
Law and Charlton – who team up to partner with George Best on a statue outside Old Trafford – are just two of a growing list of people suffering from dementia after retirement.
A study from October 2019 found that former footballers were three and a half times more likely to develop dementia, leading to calls to eliminate football altogether.
While the Football Association (FA) hasn’t completely stamped out the cap, they introduced a new heading guide in July, which limits the amount of heading each player can do during training sessions at all levels of the pyramid of English football.
The 81-year-old said he wanted to talk to the public about his illness while he was still able to do so.
“However, the time has come to tackle this head-on, excuse the pun,” Law continued in his statement.
“I have good days and bad and I try to take advantage of each day to adapt my lifestyle accordingly.
“I don’t want people to be saddened if I forget places, people or dates because you have to remember that I enjoyed all of these memories and I am fortunate to have experienced what I did. have in my life.
“I try to be positive and determined to continue watching my club, Manchester United at Old Trafford, I hope it will be a successful season and I am excited about the new signings that Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] and the club did. “
In a separate statement on Thursday, United added: “Denis Law will always be one of this club’s greatest legends and everyone at Manchester United sends our love and best wishes to him and his family.
“We know our fans around the world will rally behind him as well.
“We applaud Denis’s brave words and will continue to offer all possible support as he adjusts to this difficult condition.”
