:"This is embarrassing to say but I have cried twice in my life watching a football player; the first one was Roberto Baggio and the second was Ryan Giggs."
- Alessandro Del Piero
"Giggs is the detonator,the man who can make Manchester United explode"
- Jean Tigana
"When he's at the top of his game, there's not a team in the world that can handle Giggs' speed and penetration" - Alex Ferguson
Many legends of the game have attributed a variety of praises to Ryan Giggs. The Football fraternity is proud of him. The Red Devils fan(like me) worship him. The Wannabe fans pretend to have heard of him. Wales is proud of him. Who is he? What is he? Why is he so famous?
The very same words (in the picture above) are in display in the stands of Old Trafford, a pilgrim site for the Manchester United(Not ManU) freaks.
In the last face off between Manchester United and Chelsea, that was no less than any thriller movie, there were solid performances from both sides. David de Degea replied aptly to his critics with his over-the-top saves. Valencia proved once again why ManUnited had made no mistake signing him after Cristiano 'Cr7' Ronaldo's departure. Apart from Paul Scholes(who came out of retirement lately), there was one man who was at the helm of affairs in the United midfield. He was the evergreen Ryan Giggs. He made deep runs often into the Chelsea penalty box and rotated the ball completely. Finally Chicharito scored a perfect equaliser that was befitting the pinch-perfect cross from Giggs. This made me wonder:-"In his late 30's he pisses off the other teams. So how was he in his early 20's?" I write a tribute to this Living Legend in the Red Devils camp.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI_LkMj4HI
Born as Ryan Joseph Giggs in Cardiff, Wales on 29th November, 1973 , he started his youth career in Manchester City for a mere 2 years. After joining Manchester United he found his luck. This sensation was thrown in to the spotlight as early as seventeen years and became the "Premier League's First Poster Boy" . He is one of "Fergie's Fledgelings", a group of young footballers trained and brought up under Alex Ferguson that consists of Paul Scoles, GAry Neville, Phil Neville, Eric Cantona etc. The arrival of Eric Cantona and the rise of Ryan Giggs led to the dominance of the Red Devils over the Premier League table.
Off the pitch, newspapers claimed Giggs had "single-handedly revolutionised football's image" when he appeared as teenager "with pace to burn, a bramble patch of black hair bouncing around his puppy popstar face, and a dazzling, gluey relationship between his impossibly fleet left foot and a football". But Sir Alex Ferguson was too protective of him and did not allow him to be interviewed till the age of twenty. There was a TV show in his honour, "Ryan Giggs' Soccer Skills".
This was a new trend of setting footballers as idols since the days of George Best, who himself has cliamed ,
"One day, they might even say I was another Ryan Giggs".
A famous image of his young days was during the FA Cup semi-final of 1999 against Arsenal where he ran bare bodied after whipping of his shirt. It was a well deserved goal and according to me it was as good as "The goal of the Century". He dribbled past the whole Arsenal defence with the elite names of Tony Adams, Micheal Keowan, Lee Dixon single-handedly and struck just under the left corner , leading the 10 man team to the FA Cup final.
Even at the age of 38, he plays a pivotal role in the midfield. In the words of Fergie,
"Giggs is a very valuable player, he will be 35 this November but at 35, he can be United's key player. At 25, Ryan would shatter defenders with his run down the flank, but at 35, he will play deeper."
He has made and broken his own records. He personifies the notion of competing and outclassing oneself.
He is the longest serving Manchester United player after Sir Bobby Charlton. Last season, he became the oldest person to score in a Champions League match. This year, he was awarded the 2011 Golden Foot Award. He is a part of Football League 100 Legends and the FIFA 100. Besides these there are various PFA Youth awards and other Player of the Year awards in his name. Only a Ballon d'Or is missing from his closet.
His mere presence on the field sends shivers down the spine of the opponents though he may not be as the same force as he was 10 years ago. His deadly crosses, penetration, assists and long distance strikes can ruin any opposition. This was evident in the lone Champions League goal by Wayne Rooney in that "BEAUTIFUL" match against Barcelona that they eventually lost. He has been a part of both the Champions League Wins under Fergie. ManUnited has ample potential in the wings as Ashley Young, Nani, Anton Valencia etc. But none can make up for him.
Giggsy has recently been under media glare for an alleged extra-marital affair with Imogen Thomas and for allegations against him for sleeping with his sister-in-law. One small speck of dust cannot ruin the worth of a diamond. My respect for him knows no bounds. I have my own football jersey with the number 11. I guess his successor will have large shoes to fill and it may be a legendary number along the legendary Number 7 Jersey of Manchester United.
I pray and sincerely wish for him to continue as long as his faculties allow him. There is a rumour that he night be present in the management of Manchester United in the footsteps of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After all, experience matters.
Recently his 38th birthday passed on 29th November, 2011. So Happy Birthday to you Sir, the Evergreen Ryan Giggs. We are thankful for whatever you have done for us in your lifetime.
Sincerely, -A Red Devil Fan
- Alessandro Del Piero
"Giggs is the detonator,the man who can make Manchester United explode"
- Jean Tigana
"When he's at the top of his game, there's not a team in the world that can handle Giggs' speed and penetration" - Alex Ferguson
Many legends of the game have attributed a variety of praises to Ryan Giggs. The Football fraternity is proud of him. The Red Devils fan(like me) worship him. The Wannabe fans pretend to have heard of him. Wales is proud of him. Who is he? What is he? Why is he so famous?
The very same words (in the picture above) are in display in the stands of Old Trafford, a pilgrim site for the Manchester United(Not ManU) freaks.
In the last face off between Manchester United and Chelsea, that was no less than any thriller movie, there were solid performances from both sides. David de Degea replied aptly to his critics with his over-the-top saves. Valencia proved once again why ManUnited had made no mistake signing him after Cristiano 'Cr7' Ronaldo's departure. Apart from Paul Scholes(who came out of retirement lately), there was one man who was at the helm of affairs in the United midfield. He was the evergreen Ryan Giggs. He made deep runs often into the Chelsea penalty box and rotated the ball completely. Finally Chicharito scored a perfect equaliser that was befitting the pinch-perfect cross from Giggs. This made me wonder:-"In his late 30's he pisses off the other teams. So how was he in his early 20's?" I write a tribute to this Living Legend in the Red Devils camp.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI_LkMj4HI
Born as Ryan Joseph Giggs in Cardiff, Wales on 29th November, 1973 , he started his youth career in Manchester City for a mere 2 years. After joining Manchester United he found his luck. This sensation was thrown in to the spotlight as early as seventeen years and became the "Premier League's First Poster Boy" . He is one of "Fergie's Fledgelings", a group of young footballers trained and brought up under Alex Ferguson that consists of Paul Scoles, GAry Neville, Phil Neville, Eric Cantona etc. The arrival of Eric Cantona and the rise of Ryan Giggs led to the dominance of the Red Devils over the Premier League table.
Off the pitch, newspapers claimed Giggs had "single-handedly revolutionised football's image" when he appeared as teenager "with pace to burn, a bramble patch of black hair bouncing around his puppy popstar face, and a dazzling, gluey relationship between his impossibly fleet left foot and a football". But Sir Alex Ferguson was too protective of him and did not allow him to be interviewed till the age of twenty. There was a TV show in his honour, "Ryan Giggs' Soccer Skills".
This was a new trend of setting footballers as idols since the days of George Best, who himself has cliamed ,
"One day, they might even say I was another Ryan Giggs".
A famous image of his young days was during the FA Cup semi-final of 1999 against Arsenal where he ran bare bodied after whipping of his shirt. It was a well deserved goal and according to me it was as good as "The goal of the Century". He dribbled past the whole Arsenal defence with the elite names of Tony Adams, Micheal Keowan, Lee Dixon single-handedly and struck just under the left corner , leading the 10 man team to the FA Cup final.
Even at the age of 38, he plays a pivotal role in the midfield. In the words of Fergie,
"Giggs is a very valuable player, he will be 35 this November but at 35, he can be United's key player. At 25, Ryan would shatter defenders with his run down the flank, but at 35, he will play deeper."
He has made and broken his own records. He personifies the notion of competing and outclassing oneself.
He is the longest serving Manchester United player after Sir Bobby Charlton. Last season, he became the oldest person to score in a Champions League match. This year, he was awarded the 2011 Golden Foot Award. He is a part of Football League 100 Legends and the FIFA 100. Besides these there are various PFA Youth awards and other Player of the Year awards in his name. Only a Ballon d'Or is missing from his closet.
His mere presence on the field sends shivers down the spine of the opponents though he may not be as the same force as he was 10 years ago. His deadly crosses, penetration, assists and long distance strikes can ruin any opposition. This was evident in the lone Champions League goal by Wayne Rooney in that "BEAUTIFUL" match against Barcelona that they eventually lost. He has been a part of both the Champions League Wins under Fergie. ManUnited has ample potential in the wings as Ashley Young, Nani, Anton Valencia etc. But none can make up for him.
Giggsy has recently been under media glare for an alleged extra-marital affair with Imogen Thomas and for allegations against him for sleeping with his sister-in-law. One small speck of dust cannot ruin the worth of a diamond. My respect for him knows no bounds. I have my own football jersey with the number 11. I guess his successor will have large shoes to fill and it may be a legendary number along the legendary Number 7 Jersey of Manchester United.
I pray and sincerely wish for him to continue as long as his faculties allow him. There is a rumour that he night be present in the management of Manchester United in the footsteps of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After all, experience matters.
Recently his 38th birthday passed on 29th November, 2011. So Happy Birthday to you Sir, the Evergreen Ryan Giggs. We are thankful for whatever you have done for us in your lifetime.
Sincerely, -A Red Devil Fan
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