Man Utd legend Denis Law diagnosed with dementia and opens up in heartbreaking interview

Denis Law, 81, is battling with dementia and has gone public with information on his diagnosis.

Manchester United legend Denis Law has revealed he has been diagnosed with dementia in an emotional interview. The 81-year-old has opened up about how the condition has affected his daily life and the pain it has brought his family

 

 

Law is known as ‘The King’ for his prolific goalscoring exploits throughout his decorated career.

He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for United and also played for Huddersfield Town, Manchester City and Torino.

 

 

Law stands alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best on the grounds of Old Trafford as part of the ‘Holy Trinity’ stature at the front of the stadium.

He has admitted that his dementia diagnosis and the issues it has caused have led to anger, frustration, confusion and worry over his health.

 

 

He said: “I am at the point where I feel I want to be open about my condition.

“I have been diagnosed with ‘mixed dementia’, which is more than one type of dementia, in my case this being Alzheimer’s and Vascular dementia.

 

 

“This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone, and the long periods of isolation have certainly not helped.

“It is 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 control.

“I do understand what is happening, and 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.”

Dementia has been a common illness among some of the top former footballers around.