Football legend, Denis Law, has praised the community effort which Aberdeen FC has initiated to help their fans and the city through the Covid-19 outbreak.
Mr Law, 80, the Scotland and Manchester United star, who is widely regarded as the greatest player to emerge from the Granite City, has watched with admiration while the Pittodrie organisation has created a series of initiatives to boost vulnerable people during the ongoing lockdown.
Every day, officials at the club and the Aberdeen FC Community Trust are working in tandem to contact scores of supporters and their families, while taking steps to ensure that anybody who needs assistance receives it through the club and the trust’s efforts.
Mr Law said, on the SPFL club’s website: “Aberdeen FC has what money cannot buy: soul, spirit and tradition,
”This has never been truer than in recent weeks when the club has come to the rescue of some of the most vulnerable folks in the city during these worrying times.
”It is at times like these that we all need to come together to support each other – and that’s exactly what Aberdeen FC is doing.
”They are leading the way in showing how the shared love of football can bring us all together in helping our community get through this.
”And, as an Aberdonian – and a Dons fan – I am pleased and proud of how they are supporting their city and their fans.”
Mr Law, who won 55 international caps and scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for Manchester United during his career at Old Trafford, regularly returns to his roots and was given the Freedom of the City in 2017.
He has been involved in schemes to help disadvantaged youngsters and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of two Cruyff Court facilities in Aberdeen.
His support for the Dons’ #StillStandingFree campaign has also been backed by the former Aberdeen manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously steered the club to glory in the 1983 European Cup-Winners Cup.
He said: “In these unprecedented times, when we need to pull together in support of our communities, it’s great to know that AFC is setting such a good example.
”When the lack of football has left a real vacuum in people’s lives, the club is putting its fans and community first.”