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There is perhaps no player more synonymous with the Premier League than Ryan Giggs, a man who has adapted his game and won everything the club game has to offer. In the eighth installment of our Lovely Left Footers series, Ryan Keaney reminds us just how great Giggs has been.
Saturday 15th February 2003. David Beckham drops into central midfield and picks up the ball in Manchester United’s defensive third of the pitch. Looking up, he spots the run of the winger and fires the ball into his path. Martin Keown gets caught out by the flight of the ball. David Seaman is beaten to it. Sol Campbell is helpless as the ball is flicked through his legs. The number 11 has open goal to slot the ball into.
Except the chance is on his right foot.
As the ball spooned over the bar and despair oozed through the Manchester United fans watching, few could bring themselves to have a go at Ryan Giggs. “He doesn’t have a right foot,” they reminded themselves and they sat down.
Born on the 29th of November 1973, Ryan Joseph Giggs is the greatest left-footed player the Premier League has ever known, if not the greatest player period. Since debuting for Manchester United during the 1990-91 season, five months after agreeing his first professional contract, the Welshman has gone on to break every record that is worth breaking while winning every medal that is worth winning.
When you think of Giggs, one immediately thinks of the tricky winger playing for the red half of Manchester, but it was in Manchester City’s sky blue that he started his footballing education having moved from Cardiff to Salford aged seven. On his 14th birthday, Sir Alex Ferguson swept in and signed Giggs to apprentice forms at Old Trafford.
Three months after signing his first professional contract in December 1990, Giggs made his debut for Manchester United on March 2nd 1991 as a substitute for Denis Irwin. The following season, Giggs made his first start for the club and marked it by scoring (with huge help from Colin Hendry’s deflection) the only goal in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Throughout the 1991/92 season Giggs captained a certain group of incredible young players to victory in the FA Youth Cup as well as helping the first team to victory in the League Cup. ‘The new George Best’ set-up Brian McClair for the only goal of the final as he went about displacing Lee Sharpe on the left flank. In May 1992 – at the end of his first full season – Giggs was voted Young Player of the Year by his fellow professionals.
Electrifying pace, an eye for a goal, superb delivery from wide and ‘twisted blood’ inducing super-fast feet, Giggs possessed every skill deemed necessary of top wingers. He became an integral part of a dominating Manchester United side as they won a host of trophies. The 1992/93 and 1996/97 Premier Leagues, the doubles of 1993/94 and 1995/96 all lead up to the peak of Giggs’ success – THAT goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final replay of 1999.
In ten seconds of pure instinct, Ryan Giggs summed up every supreme element of his game.
Picking the ball up in Manchester United’s half, Giggs glided through the challenges of four Arsenal defenders on his way to scoring of the greatest goals in the history of the Old Trafford club as they marched towards a historic treble-winning season.
Of course, Giggs wasn’t finished there. It is perhaps his greatest strength – even more so than his incredible dribbling skills or comfort at beating a defender – that as soon as he claims a trophy, it is forgotten and his attention is trained on the next success.It is that bloody single-mindedness that has not only kept him playing as he bears down on his 38th birthday but also helped him to reinvent himself in central midfield.
As the pace in his legs began to fade, the record appearance maker for Manchester United began to feature more and more in the middle of the park. Gone were the days of rampaging runs and electrifying breaks – and in their place, Giggs controlled the team. He pulls the strings of the side from a deep midfield position and put his awe-inspiring passing capabilities to good use.
The only blip in Ryan’s incredible on-field career remains the fact that he never graced the pitches of a major international tournament. Ryan Giggs, when he does call time on his career, will stand alongside Northern Irishman George Best and a handful of others as one of the finest players to never play on the biggest international stage.
In truth, he may look back on his whole international time with a slight tinge of regret. The latter years, before announcing his retirement in 2007, were blighted by a string of injury-related withdrawals that had rather little to do with any actual injuries and more to with him remaining fresh for Man Utd.
Of course, that is only if you really wanted to pick a hole in the career of a man who has won 12 Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.
He has won his fair share of awards too. In 2009 he added the PFA Player of the Year and the BBC Sports Personality Player of the Year awards to a collection that has been building since he claimed the PFA Young Player award following his first full season. The stream of plaudits shows no sign of slowing down either.
Just last month, Ryan Giggs was award the 2011 Golden Foot Award.
But not feet.
Ryan Keaney is the editor of the superb The Football Project, which can be found on twitter @theftblproject, and Ryan can be followed @RyanKeaney.
