Utd Kids Wife

 MIDFIELD

Four words – A true United legend!

Has won everything in the game but his thirst for silverware is never quenched.

Remains the most decorated player in English football history.

Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990-1991 season and has been a regular player since the 1991-1992 season. He holds the club record for competitive appearances, and the club record for team trophies won by a player ( a mere 23!).Since 1992, he has collected 11 Premier League winner’s medals, 4 FA Cup winner’s medals, 3 League Cup winner’s medals and 2 Champions League winner’s medals. He also has runner-up medals from the Champions League, 2 FA Cup finals and 2 Football League Cup finals, as well as being part of 4 United teams to have finished second in the league. In recent years, Giggs has captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Neville was ruled out with various injuries. Giggs is the only player to have scored in every season of the Premier League for the club.

Debut and breakthrough season

Giggs turned professional on 29 November 1990 (his 17th birthday), by which time he was described by various sources to be the finest prospect in English football since George Best in the 1960′s.

He made his League debut against Everton at home on 2 March 1991, as a substitute for in a 2–0 defeat. In his first full start, Giggs was credited with his first ever goal in a 1–0 win in the Manchester derby on 4 May 1991. However, he was not included in the squad of 16 that defeated Barcelona in the UEFA Cup Winners final 11 days later. At this time, the 20-year-old Lee Sharpe was United’s first choice left winger.

He became a first-team regular early in the 1991-1992 season, yet remained active with the youth system and captained the team, made up of many of “Fergie’s Fledglings”, to an FA Youth Cup triumph in 1992. Giggs broke into the first team even though he was still aged only 17, a mark of his skill and maturity, and paved the way as the first of many Manchester United youth players to rise into the first team under Ferguson. As the youngest member of the United first team squad, Giggs looked to the older players such as Bryan Robson for advice.

That season, Giggs played in the team that finished as runners-up to Leeds United in the final year of the old First Divison before the advent of the Premier League topping the table for much of the season before a run of dismal results in April saw them overtaken by their rival side.

Giggs collected his first piece of silverware on 12 April 1992 as United defeated Notts Forest in the League Cup Final setting up an assist for Brian McClair to score the only goal of the game. At the end of the season, he was voted PFA Young Player of The Year.

Early career

By the start of the 1992-1993 season, the first season of the newly formed Premier League, Giggs had established himself as United’s first team left winger, and became known as one of British football’s most prodigious young players. His emergence and the arrival of Eric Cantona heralded the dominance of United in the new league. His manager was very protective of him, refusing to allow Giggs to be interviewed until he turned 20 eventually granting the first interview to BBC’s Match of The Day in the 1993-1994 season. This was the season when United won the double and Giggs was one of their key players. They topped the table from the fourth game in late August and were not overtaken all season.

He was afforded many opportunities not normally offered to footballers at his young age, such as hosting his own TV show, Ryan Giggs’ Soccer Skills, which aired in 1994, and also had a book based on the series. Giggs was part of the Football League’s attempt to market itself globally and he featured on countless football and lads magazine covers, becoming a household name. Despite his aversion to attention, Giggs also became a teenage pin-up and was once described as the “Premiership’s First Poster Boy” and the “boy wonder” arguably the original footballer who catapulted the term into the public lexicon. He was hailed as the first football star to capture the public imagination in a way unseen since the days of George Best. The irony was that Best and Bobby Charlton used to describe Giggs as their favourite young player, turning up at the training ground just to watch him, where Best once quipped, “One day they might even say that I was another Ryan Giggs.”

His immense popularity heralded a new era in football fandom and was also once described as the “boy who converted a million innocent teenage hearts into United fans”. Giggs showed such unique talent that words like “genius” and “magician” were often used by admiring team mates.

Giggs proved to be a great goalscorer, many of his memorable goals being shortlisted for various Goal of The Season awards with the most remarkable of all, his solo-goal against Arsenal in the replay of the 1999 FA Cup semi-final. During extra time, Giggs picked up possession then ran from the half-way line, dribbled past the whole Arsenal back line before launching his left-footed strike just under David Seaman’s bar and beyond his reach. He famously whipped off his shirt as he ran to celebrate with his teammates.

1994-1995 saw Giggs restricted through injury to 29 Premier League games and only 1 goal, but later in the season he recovered his form and fitness, though it was too late to help United to any major trophies.

In 1995-1996, Giggs returned to full form and played a vital part in United’s unique second double.

The following season Giggs had his first real chance to shine in Europe. Having played a key role in United winning their third league title in four seasons, he helped them reach the European Cup semi-finals, the first United side in 28 years to achieve this. However, their hopes of European glory were ended by Borrusia Dortmund who edged them out by winning each leg of the semi-final 1-0.

In 1997-1998, United were pipped to the Premier League title by Arsenal, following a dismal run of form in March and early April, leaving them without a trophy for only the second time since 1989. The following season, Giggs missed a lot of games through injury, but when he was fit his form was consistently excellent and he played in both of United’s cup finals that season.

The highpoint in the 1998-1999 season was when Giggs set up the equalising goal scored by Teddy Sheringham in the 1999 European Cup Final that set United on their way to infamous Treble (becoming the first club to win the league, European cup and FA cup in the same season).

By this stage, his media profile had diminished slightly, particularly due to the emergence of younger high profile players like David Beckham, who became the focus of almost unprecedented media attention on and off the field.

Giggs was one of United’s most experienced and senior players despite still being only 28 years old. Giggs continued to excel in the four years that followed the Treble triumph of 1999. United were Premier League champions in three of the four seasons following the treble, as well as reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals three times and the semi-finals once.

He was inducted into the English Footballers Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.

After that season, Giggs signed a two-year contract extension with United. He has subsequently signed two further one-year contact extensions, to keep him at Old Trafford until at least June 2010, when he will be 36.

On 6 May 2007, with Chelsea only able to manage a 1–1 draw with London rivals Arsenal Manchester United became the champions of England. In doing so, Ryan Giggs set a new record of nine league titles, beating the previous record of eight.

In the 2007–08 season, Alex Ferguson adopted a rotation system between Giggs and newcomers Nani and Anderson. Nevertheless, Giggs remained the favoured choice for the anticipated clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford and put in a cross with the outside of his boot for Carlos Tevez to score his first United goal.

Giggs scored his 100th league goal for United against Derby County on 8 December 2007, which United won 4–1. More landmarks have been achieved: on 20 February 2008 he made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League and on 11 May 2008 he came on as a substitute to equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 758 appearances for United. Fittingly, Giggs scored the second goal in that match, sealing his, and United’s, tenth Premier League title. Ten days later, on 21 May 2008, Giggs broke the appearance record for United when coming on as an 87th minute substitute in the Champions League Final against Chelsea. United would go on to win the Final, defeating Chelsea 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw after extra time. Giggs converted what became the winning penalty in sudden-death for United.

At the start of Manchester United’s 2008–09 campaign, Alex Ferguson began placing Ryan Giggs at central midfield, behind the forwards, instead of his favoured wing position. Giggs has since adapted very well to his new position.

On 8 February 2009, Giggs maintained his record of being the only player to score in every season of the Premier League since its inception in 1992 by netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over West Ham. On 26 April 2009, Giggs received the Player of The Year award, despite having started just twelve games throughout the 08/09 season (at the time of receiving the trophy). This was the first time in his illustrious career that Giggs had received the award. On 16 May 2009, Manchester United won the Premier League after a 0-0 draw against Arsenal, both United’s and Giggs’ 11th Premier League titles.

On 12 September 2009, Giggs scored United’s first goal in a 3-1 Premier League win against Tottenham maintaining his record of having scored in every Premier League season since its inception, the only player to have done so. This game also marked Giggs’ 700th start for United.