Giggs the great

Wednesday, 21/09/2011

by Tom Seymour

As Manchester United stuttered in their opening Champion’s League fixture at Benfica’s Estadio Da Luz, one man ensured that they wouldn’t come away empty handed – Ryan Giggs.

His 42nd minute thunderbolt into the top right corner levelled the game for United and gave them a much appreciated point in a tough away tie. However, a fairly run of the mill 1-1 draw in Europe was not the outstanding thing about this game; it was yet another landmark being achieved by Ryan Giggs.

By scoring the Red Devils’ equaliser he became the oldest player to score in the Champion’s League (admittedly breaking his own record) and has scored in 16 consecutive seasons in the competition – one more than closest rival Raul. But even more impressively than this, Giggs has now scored in 22 consecutive seasons for Manchester United. This is a remarkable achievement for a player who has always looked comfortable at the highest level.

Giggs scored his first goal for United in a 1-0 win over Manchester City in May 1991, a full eight months before Jack Wilshire was even born. He hasn’t looked back since.

Although never a prolific goal scorer, his stats of 161 goals in 881 appearances is respectable for a midfielder – especially when you consider his assists record is truly prolific.

At 37, Giggs is of an age when most professional footballers will have either retired or demoted to the less high-tempo lower leagues. But then Giggs isn’t like most professional footballers.

In March of this year, he surpassed the Manchester United league appearances record held by Bobby Charlton, making his 607th appearance for the club against Liverpool. He has won 33 trophies in his 22 seasons; including 12 Premier League, four FA Cup and two Champion’s League medals.

He was awarded OBE on the Queen’s Honour List in 2007 and is the only player still currently playing, in the English Football Hall of Fame. His individual honours appear to make up an endless list and he has featured prominently in all of Alex Ferguson’s teams, since his debut at 17 years old.

Most would imagine that Giggs couldn’t continue to keep playing at the highest level for much longer. But then many said the same thing two, three, even four years ago.

I’m not sure anyone can predict a limit on Ryan Giggs’ playing career, not even Giggs himself. But to prove last Wednesday’s European strike was not a drop in the ocean, the Welshman scored his second in a week in last night’s 0-3 victory over Leeds. I wouldn’t put it past Giggs to be doing the same thing when he’s 47.

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