Ryan Giggs will go down in history as one of the greatest Welsh, British and Manchester United footballers of all-time. His numbers speak for themselves and his titles bear testimony to his greatness:
Manchester United
963 games 168 goals
Wales
64 games 12 goals
Team GB (2012 Olympics)
4 games 1 goal
Manchester United Honours
Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 (13)
FA Cup: 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 (4)
Football League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009 (3)
FA Community Shield: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013 (9)
UEFA Champions League: 1999, 2008 (2)
UEFA Super Cup: 1991 (1)
Inter-Continental Cup: 1999 (1)
FIFA Club World Cup: 2008 (1)
Individual Honours
PFA Young Player of the Year: 1992, 1993
PFA Team of the Year: 1993, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009
PFA Team of the Century: 1997–2007
PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2009
PFA Merit Award: 2016
FWA Tribute Award: 2007
Bravo Award: 1993
BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 2009
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year: 1996, 2009
GQ Sportsman of the Year: 2010
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 1998
Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year: 1991, 1992
Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year: 2006
Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02): Overall Team of the Decade
Premier League 20 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2011–12): Best Player
UEFA Champions League 10 Seasons Dream Team (1992 to 2002): 2002
Wales Player of the Year Award: 1996, 2006
BBC Goal of the Season: 1998–99
English Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 2005
He was a phenomenon as a footballer and, when he finally hung up his boots as a player, he stepped into management at Old Trafford. That day, Monday 19 May 2014, came nearly a fortnight after Giggs made what proved to be his final appearance on the field. He started out as an assistant to United’s new boss Louis van Gaal.
The night he helped United win the Champions League for the third time, in Moscow on 21 May, 2008, he overtook Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 758 appearances for the Reds. His final total of 963 games over 24 remarkable seasons at the club is unlikely to ever be topped.
Born in Cardiff, his father, Danny Wilson, played outside half for Cardiff before switching to rugby league with Swinton. Ryan went to school in Manchester and actually played for the England Schoolboys on one occasion. He began his career at the Manchester City School of Excellence, but a visit to his house on his 14th birthday by Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to switch to the red side of Manchester.
He turned professional in November 1990 and made his league debut in the old Division One against Everton on 2 March, 1991 as a substitute for Denis Irwin. His first league start in 1990/91 also proved a memorable occasion, scoring his first goal in a 1-0 win over none other than Manchester City.
His first senior trophy came in November 1991 when United beat Red Star Belgrade in the European Super Cup final. He added a League Cup winners medal later that season and was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year for 1992 and 1993.
He made one appearance for Wales U21 before graduating into the senior squad. His senior Wales debut came in Germany in October 1991, coming on as an 84th minute substitute for Eric Young at the age of 17 years, 321 days. That made him the youngest player to appear for the Welsh senior team at the time.
The honours continued to roll in for Giggs and United throughout his incredible career and he was an integral part of the ‘Double’ winning sides of 1994 and 1996, as well as the ‘Treble’ winners of 1999. He captained Team GB at the 2012 Olympics in London. After spending a short-time as the club’s caretaker manager, he eventually left the club and on 15 January, 2018, he succeeded Chris Coleman as the Wales manager. He successfully led Wales to qualify for Euro 2020
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE: Born 29 November, 1973
