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Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, runnning down the wings,
Feared by the Blues, Loved by the Reds,
Ryan Giggs
Few players have caught the imagination of both fans and oppositions with as much intensity as the Welshman in his prime. One of the most feared wingers of his time, Ryan Giggs is a Legend of the beautiful game. The most decorated player in football is also one of the greatest players to have played in the Premier League.
At the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards, the Welshman was awarded the Best Player of the last 2 decades. His achievements with Manchester United are a part of folklore at Old Trafford.
Giggs first appeared for Manchester United on 2nd March 1991 and even though he was just 17 years old, went on to become a regular in the first team from the 1991/92 season. In a way, the Welshman was the flagbearer of Sir Alex Ferguson's youth-oriented teams and it was his fascinating emergence that paved the path for all of Fergie's Fledglings to rule the Premier League.
Also Read: 4 Manchester United Legends who never played in the World Cup
Ryan Giggs played his last game for Manchester United on 6th May 2014, when, as an interim Manager, the Welshman subbed himself on in a 3-1 win over Hull City at Old Trafford. He retired at the end of the season, but Giggs had already written his name in gold. Today, we take a look at 5 of the records he set in the Premier League, which might never be broken.
#5 Most subbed off player
The Welshman is the most subbed player in the Premier League, which also has to do with the fact that until very recently, Giggs had the most appearances in the Premier League - 632. That record now belongs to Gareth Barry, who now has 653 appearances. Giggs, however, has been subbed off 134 times in the Premier League, which is a record that not many are aware of.
Incidentally, Peter Crouch has the most substitute appearances in the Premier League. The English striker has been subbed on 152 times. Jermain Defoe, on the other hand, has the most goals in the Premier League as a substitute - 24. While Giggs' record might not be the most eye-catching, it is certainly one that might linger for quite a few years before anyone can come near it.
#4 Most Premier League seasons played in
Ryan Giggs made his first appearance in the Premier League in the league's debut season in 1992/93. Since then, Giggs featured in every season until his retirement at the end of the 2013/14 season.
Giggs appeared 41 times in the first season of the Premier League. From there, the Welshman has appeared in more than 20 games in every season until his last, when he appeared just 12 times in the Premier League and 22 times in total. In that time, Giggs mostly played as the fearless left winger who made left footed amateurs all around the world dream of glory. He did occasionally appear on the right-hand side, but it was as a left winger that Giggs tore apart the opposition.
As age caught up with him in the later stages of his career and having lost a significant bit of his pace, he remodelled himself as a central midfielder and was used magnificently by Sir Alex. When he hung up his boots, Giggs had appeared in 22 seasons in the Premier League and it is a record, one can safely assume, that might never be broken.
#3 Most Premier League assists
Ryan Giggs has recorded the most assists in the history of the Premier League so far, registering 162. Next up on the list is Cesc Fabregas, who is also the nearest active player, with 111 assists. But the Spaniard is not playing regularly at Chelsea and it is highly unlikely that he will come within touching distance of the record.
The next active player on the list is James Milner of Liverpool, who is on 80, followed by David Silva at 77. However, even though Silva has been magnificent, the Spaniard is running out of time and reaching 162 might be out of the realms of possibility, even for his abilities. Surprisingly, Manchester United's Ashley Young is the next active player on the list, at 13th position, with 68 assists to his name.
As such, this is one record that might stay with Ryan Giggs for a long, long time and it would take a genius of the highest qualities to break this one.
#2 Most Premier League seasons scored in
Ryan Giggs has the record of scoring in the first 21 seasons of the Premier League. It is a feat that no other player has achieved and this alone shows what a true Premier League great the Welshman is. While he appeared in 22 seasons in the League, he unfortunately could not find the back of the net in his last season, 2013/14, from his 12 appearances. Nevertheless, this is a record of grandiloquent proportions that will last the test of time.
In his first season in the newly started Premier League, Giggs scored 9 goals from 41 appearances. He followed it up with 13 goals in the following season, which is also his highest goalscoring return in the Premier League, in his career. Giggs crossed the 10 goal barrier in the league, just one more time, the 1995/96 season, where he scored 11 goals. The Welshman went on to score 109 goals from 632 games in the Premier League.
Giggs came dangerously close to losing his record as early as the 3rd season of the Premier League. In the 94/95 season, the Welshman appeared 29 times in the Premier League and scored just 1 goal. However, he did go on to score in 21 seasons in the Premier League, a feat that will perhaps never be repeated again.
#1 Most Premier League Winner's Medals
Ryan Giggs has won the Premier League a record 13 times, the most in the history of the league. He was a part of every title-winning Manchester United team till his retirement. Next on the list is his compatriot and fellow United legend Paul Scholes, who has won it 11 times. The list is dominated by United players - of the 20 players who have won the Premier League 5 times or more, 19 represented Manchester United, with Chelsea's John Terry the odd man out!
Giggs won the Premier League back to back in the 1992/93 and 1993/94 seasons and then again in the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons. After missing out the following year, he won it for 3 consecutive seasons, before United went 3 years without winning the league.
Giggs lifted the trophy again in the 2006/07 season and then repeated the feat in the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons. He finished as he had started, by winning the title back to back in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. Incidentally, that last win was also the last time Manchester United won the league.
The only active player who has won the league more than 3 times is Arsenal keeper Petr Cech, who won the title 4 times with Chelsea. While it is absolutely impossible that the Czech International will come within touching distance of Giggs, it is hard to imagine anyone winning the Premier League 13 times again in this lifetime. As such, this record shall stay safe with Giggs, a fitting tribute to the player who has served the League brilliantly over the years.
