Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs celebrates his 43rd birthday today, and here at Shoot! we’d like to wish the Welsh star a very happy birthday!

The former United skipper retired from football in 2014 after 24 years at Old Trafford, in which time he made 963 appearances for the club, and scored 168 goals.

In that time, Giggs won 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cup crowns, four League Cup winner’s medals, and two Champions League trophies, as well as nine Community Shields and one UEFA Super Cup.

Players’ Player of the Year in 2008/09, nine times in the Premier League Team of Year, and BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009, Giggs won almost everything there was to win in the game, from club honours to individual titles.

He was one of the best sportsman to ever come out of Wales, and appeared 64 times for his country and netted 12 goals before retiring in 2007.

Giggs never played for his country at a major tournament, but he did represent and captain Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games, scoring a header in their 3-1 win over the United Arab Emirates to become the oldest goal-scorer in Olympic football for 88 years.

With Giggs celebrating his 43rd birthday today, we at Shoot! have picked out FIVE things that you probably didn’t know about the Welsh wing wizard…

His Premier League career lasted 7,934 days

Giggs had begun to make a new for himself when the newly branded Premier League began in 1992, and he appeared in every season in England’s top-flight up until retirement in 2014.

That period of time equates to 7,934 days from his debut against Sheffield United in August 1992 to his final game against Hull in May 2014.

Of course, he took over from the sacked David Moyes at the end of the 2013/14 season on a temporary basis, and brought himself of the bench for his final game at Old Trafford in that 3-1 win over Hull.

There is a portrait of Giggs in the National Library of Wales

Artist Peter Edwards produced a portrait of Giggs back in 1998, when the Welshman was only 24 years of age.

And, in 2008, the National Library of Wales paid £10,000 for the portrait to be hung in their headquarters in Aberystwyth.

Giggs’ portraits became only the second of a sportsman in the National Library, following rugby international Barry John, but more have followed since in the form of Joe Calzaghe and Shane Williams.

He was not allowed to speak to journalists until 20 years of age

Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United boss made sure that Giggs couldn’t get himself into trouble with the media at an early age.

He did this by banning the Welshman from speaking to them until he was 20-years-old. His first interview came with Des Lynam on the BBC in 1994.

Fortunately, the newspapers had enough content on the young winger given his consistently brilliant displays for United.

He only won the Welsh Player of the Year award twice

Arguably the best Welsh footballer of all time, yet Giggs only won the Welsh Player of the Year award twice in his career.

The United legend won it in 1996 after a fine season at Old Trafford, which saw him score 12 times, and again in 2006 after an excellent year for both United and Wales.

His tally of two is the same as former Fulham and Tottenham midfielder Steven Davies, and one less than striker John Hartson. Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale has won it six times, including the last four years in a row.

He hosted TV show in the 1994

Giggs hosted a TV show named Ryan Giggs’ Soccer Skills for six episodes in 1994.

The show saw the United winger help train several teenagers to produce some skills and tricks, like the ones Giggs used to produce back in the day.

The 43-year-old has gone into TV again post-retirement, and can often be heard as a pundit on ITV.