Ally Abdallah

"Paul Ince and I (Gary Pallister) sat in the directors’ box with Alex Ferguson and he said: ‘There’s a kid playing tonight who’s going to be special.’  The kid they were talking about was a Welsh curly haired boy called Ryan Giggs. 

18 years later, not only Sir Alex Ferguson knows his prediction was right. "You could see straight away that he had a special gift”, said Pallister.

Ryan Giggs was spotted as a talented fourteen year old by Manchester City, though Ferguson was late in grabbing this Welsh teenager he was successful in persuading him to join Manchester United’s youth setup, promising to turn him into a professional in three years. At 16 years of age, he was ready to start a relationship with his country, by entering the Welsh under-21 squad.

Giggs turned professional on 29th November 1990, his 17th birthday. He was promoted to the first team in 1991 and had his debut against Everton, coming on as a substitute for Denis Irwin. In his first full match, a 1-0 victory against rivals Manchester City, he scored the only goal of the game to announce himself on the biggest stage of all. In 1991-92, he set up a goal for Brian McClair in the League Cup Final against Nottingham Forest and was handed the PFA Youth Player of the Year award to go alongside his first silverware. 

Today, at 36, Giggs continues to be in Ferguson’s first team and is respected by all as the most experienced player at the club. Now well deserving of veteran status, this season he has contributed greatly in helping Manchester United retain the Premier League crown and win the Champions League.

Giggs has been around for so long so it is easy to take his ability for granted. United assistant-manager Carlos Queiroz has been quoted as saying," He is one of the special and rare players who can play football in a phone box and still find the door no matter how many players you put in there with him". United defenders have also paid tribute to his unique ability, adding that they had ‘twisted blood trying to mark him in training’. His exceptional balance, electric pace and elastic dribbling past defenders will go down as the most noticeable aspect of his game and when he was younger brought comparisons with George Best. Speaking when Giggs was still marauding down the wing in the 90s, Paul Ince said "George Best was a wizard in his time so is Giggs now”.

It is almost two decades since his top flight debut, Giggs has slowed down a bit, rarely running at full throttle because of a series of hamstring problems, but the trickery and natural body swerve with the ball, that great players like him possess, is still used when needed. No one can forget the amazing solo-goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal which was his own unique contribution the 1999 treble. During extra time Giggs picked up possession after Patrick Vieira gave away the ball, then ran away from the half-way line, dribbling past the whole Arsenal defence, including Tony Adams and Martin Keown, before launching a left-footed strike just under David Seaman’s bar and beyond the Arsenal goalie. It has since been hailed as the best FA Cup goal of all time and many also record it as being the greatest Manchester United goal ever.

Despite his high profile, very little is known about the Giggs the person as opposed to Giggs the footballer. "He likes to keep a certain amount of privacy and doesn’t flaunt himself to the press because he doesn’t have to," says Steve Bruce the former United captain. His partner in that United defence, Gary Pallister, also has kind words "of all the people I have seen dealing with celebrity superstar status, Ryan has handled it best". He is an elite footballer who, unlike many modern young players, has brushed away the distractions of wealth and fame to focus on his life as footballer, always improving himself and producing magnificent performances on the pitch.

Although he has achieved what only a few could dream, he is still hungry for more. He has won the Premier League ten times, the FA Cup four times, the FA Community Shield six times, the UEFA Champions League and Football League Cup twice and the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup once. He is the proud owner of many more records and individual awards including:

Only United player to play in all the 10 Premiership title winning teams, to have played in both the League Cup winning teams. Only player to have  scored in 12 consecutive Champions League tournaments, to have played and won two Champions League finals for United. 

Records include:

Along with Gary Speed, the only player to have scored in every Premier League campaign since its inception (1992). First player to win PFA Young Player of the Year in consecutive years. Top all time scorer in the FA Premier League in a position other than striker. Scoring Manchester United’s fastest goal (15 seconds) against Southampton. One of only five British players to have won the Champions League twice. Only player to have won 10 Premier League trophies. Most appearances at United with 759.

His skills have secured him a place in the first team for so long but it is also his versatility that has made him ever more valuable. In 2006-07, Giggs surprised everyone when he adapted and played excellently in central midfield. His physique, intelligence and good aerial control along with his fantastic skills must surely bring him close to being a complete player. "It doesn’t matter if he plays left or right wing or centre midfield, he can always create something special."

During his 18 year stay at United, he has played side by side with Cantona, McClair, Beckham, Keane, Bruce, Irwin, Solskjaer and many other players who enjoyed their peaks at Old Trafford. He was part of the treble team in 1999 and also is part of the team which have won this season’s Champions League, a team which has the potential to accomplish many great things in the future, probably without their faithful coach Sir Alex Ferguson who is expected to retire after three more years.

Steve Bruce says, "If you were going to put a team together, certainly from the last 20 years, and you were looking for a left-sided winger, you aren’t going to get any better anywhere in the world". Queiroz too has further kind words about the Welshman, “He is one of the few players who have a right to a place in the history of the game".

Sir Alex Ferguson has recently stated he is sure that Giggs will be staying with United for the rest of his playing days. After that maybe he will take his coaching badges and follow the path of ex-team-mates like McClair by taking a position within the club. Until that time comes, every United supporter should stop worrying when the magic Giggs will retire and hope that he will continue to bedazzle Reds and leave defenders dumbfounded as he scrambles past them.

Today often blessed with the captain’s armband, 18 years on from his debut and with over 700 games Ryan Giggs still shines!

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