How good was Ryan Giggs?
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Bossing Real Madrid at 39. What a player
I was never a Giggs fan, I found him incredibly frustrating as a player, lots of flicks and tricks that didn't come off and long spells without many goals/assists.
To be fair, I'm 33 so missed the early years of his career. I've seen all the videos over and over again and he looked absolutely electric for the first 4/5 years of his career. Seem to recall he struggled with hamstring injuries in his mid-20s and had to reinvent his game a little.
All that being said, I realise now he was one of the more frustrating/weaker players (in my opinion) in an incredible side. If he'd played for us post-SAF, he'd have been clear as our best player by a country mile
To be fair, I'm 33 so missed the early years of his career. I've seen all the videos over and over again and he looked absolutely electric for the first 4/5 years of his career. Seem to recall he struggled with hamstring injuries in his mid-20s and had to reinvent his game a little.
All that being said, I realise now he was one of the more frustrating/weaker players (in my opinion) in an incredible side. If he'd played for us post-SAF, he'd have been clear as our best player by a country mile
his 2011 run at CM leading to the CL final was some of his best ever work
This is harsh. He was a different generation to Ronnie, who has benefited greatly from huge advances in tech and sports science.
Giggsy also didn’t look after himself as religiously as Cristiano, so for him to play to his 40’s was quite a feat.
As a youth player bursting into the first team, he was a breath of fresh air. He took on anyone, and was a constant threat, and his link-up play was fantastic. He maintained that style of play all the way through the '90s, culminating in some legendary displays in the Treble season.
After that, he started to lose his pace, and adapted to more of a playmaking wide midfielder, which he also did very well until the late 2000s. His last really good season was probably 2010/11. The last 3-4 years were pretty poor by his standards, and I remember getting increasingly frustrated with him as he continued to drop off. He was still pretty good, and still pulled of the occasional world class game. Big moments never scared him, and he was always focused and intelligent on and around the ball. Even up until retirement. He just got slower and less explosive. Much like Rooney and Scholes also tampered off in their final years at United. No wonder though, he was north of 40... That's almost unheard of at that level!
A lot of fans give Antony stick for being incredibly one-footed. But Ryan Giggs was also one of the most one-footed attacking player we've had in modern times. His right foot was like a walking stick. But he was good at taking on defenders from both sides, which Antony lacks. So he masked it well, except when he was forced to finish with his right foot. He scored a couple that way, but most of the finishes with his right foot were of the quality of a 12 year old, to be honest.
Giggs is nonetheless a club legend, no doubt. His longevity, professionalism (on-field) and raw talent meant he was a key player in our success for at least 15-20 years. No one in today's team will probably ever get close to that. The mere fact that he played so many games, and was so loyal to United, is exemplary. In the '90s he was on fire. We had other quality wingers such as Sharpe and Kanchelskis, but Giggs was the most consistent in that period.
It's a crying shame he played for Wales, not England.
(I am only giving my opinion on Giggs as a footballer here. We all know he was no saint in his private life.)
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Played the full game. Worked his ass off and never look like fading. Not bad for 39.
Genuine World class. The best of the class of 92.
If only he had played for England….
If only he had played for England….
World class winger, one of the best the PL has ever seen.
People on social media only seem to remember him at the end of his career in his late 30s filling in at cm, he was still class then.
People on social media only seem to remember him at the end of his career in his late 30s filling in at cm, he was still class then.
Giggs' stats (or lack there of) didn't even tell a quarter of the picture of just how good he was. Giggs was world class. In today's game I'd imagine he'd play as a right sided attacker in a 4-3-3 and probably put up Salah type numbers. In the 4-4-2 system that we played, he was absolutely perfect. Best left midfielder of his generation. The only player of his generation who could compare is Figo. But I'd take Giggs every time...
Jesus Christ, I'm starting to feel like how my
dad must have felt telling me how good George Best was...
Giggs, Neville, Scholes, Keane... they were fecking phenomenal players, who played for, arguably the best team in the world at the time as nailed on starters.. I pity any Utd fans who didn't get to see them in their prime.
dad must have felt telling me how good George Best was...
Giggs, Neville, Scholes, Keane... they were fecking phenomenal players, who played for, arguably the best team in the world at the time as nailed on starters.. I pity any Utd fans who didn't get to see them in their prime.
Giggs to me was one of the best complimentary players you could have in your team. The man could do everything to a fairly high level. It's one of the reasons SAF loved him and relied on him so much. He was played as a LW, CM and AM quite often.
If you watch videos of his assists and goals, you'll see such a well rounded player. Through balls, crosses, free kicks, headers, volleys, solo goals, flicks, he could do it all.
Could also be frustrating as feck with how loose he was in possession but he always had a key moment or two to open up a defence. The season we won the league again in 2006/07, the leadership from Giggs and Scholes was incredible. Rooney and Ronaldo took the highlights but these Giggs and Scholes were the cogs that made that happen.
His performance against Roma in the 7-1 was a clinic in creativity.
If you watch videos of his assists and goals, you'll see such a well rounded player. Through balls, crosses, free kicks, headers, volleys, solo goals, flicks, he could do it all.
Could also be frustrating as feck with how loose he was in possession but he always had a key moment or two to open up a defence. The season we won the league again in 2006/07, the leadership from Giggs and Scholes was incredible. Rooney and Ronaldo took the highlights but these Giggs and Scholes were the cogs that made that happen.
His performance against Roma in the 7-1 was a clinic in creativity.
It's no coincidence that our greatest era of football conincides with his career. A mainstay in the team for most his career. Naturally talented in his youth and cultered in his later years.
The dribbling, the pace, the passing, the goals. As exciting as any young player I've seen and his longevity at a club as successful as ours should show those of you were unfortunate enough not to see him play in his prime, how good he really was.
The dribbling, the pace, the passing, the goals. As exciting as any young player I've seen and his longevity at a club as successful as ours should show those of you were unfortunate enough not to see him play in his prime, how good he really was.
I was actually thinking of him and Scholes yesterday while reading the Rashford new contract thread. People getting worried about player x or y’s new contract as a result of Rashford’s.
But not all players are the same. Almost every club has a few of them. So while at United at times Keane, Beckham, Rooney (the worst when it came to contact renewals/drama), Rio and some others fought for improved contracts, Giggs and Scholes never did. Despite Italian club presidents openly telling every other summer how they offered Giggs and Scholes and United a blank check but that United never wanted to sell and those two players never wanted to leave.
Regarding Giggs, he was phenomenal and who cares about the amount of goals when he is leading the Premier League assists with 162! His role wasn’t comparable to today’s goal scoring wingers.
But not all players are the same. Almost every club has a few of them. So while at United at times Keane, Beckham, Rooney (the worst when it came to contact renewals/drama), Rio and some others fought for improved contracts, Giggs and Scholes never did. Despite Italian club presidents openly telling every other summer how they offered Giggs and Scholes and United a blank check but that United never wanted to sell and those two players never wanted to leave.
Regarding Giggs, he was phenomenal and who cares about the amount of goals when he is leading the Premier League assists with 162! His role wasn’t comparable to today’s goal scoring wingers.
What. A. fecking. Player
Brilliant player with an amazing career, from flying winger to quality midfielder through the years. Rapid pace, skill, balance, top quality, guts & longevity, he had it all. What a player he was for us.
He was unbelievable, one of the best of the PL era. When you seen idiots like Jamie Carragher saying that Giggs wouldn’t get in City’s team ahead of Grealish it shows that even if you play the game at a reasonable level, like Carragher did, you can still be totally uneducated about football.
One of the best players to ever play for us. Sadly his reputation has gone downhill because he is a massive bellend.
Think carra saying that because giggs was from united. If giggs was from other clubs he would praise giggs to the high heaven
His performance against City in the 4-3 win remains my favorite Giggs performance.
He was simply sensational that entire game. He tore City to shreds.
He was simply sensational that entire game. He tore City to shreds.
Kind of an insulting thread TBH. Not a good man obvoiusly but a brilliant footballer. His control in high speed could only be rivaled by Robben
Giggs running down the wing in part one of his United career was already breathtaking. We hardly have any of these touchline wizard wingers anymore.
Giggs as the creative playmaker who could still dribble in the middle, as part two of his United career, was a stunning surprise. He played at a genuinely top level in the middle. I think Yoga prolonged and eradicated his hamstring problems, along with the shift towards creative passing Vs just using his pace
Giggs as the creative playmaker who could still dribble in the middle, as part two of his United career, was a stunning surprise. He played at a genuinely top level in the middle. I think Yoga prolonged and eradicated his hamstring problems, along with the shift towards creative passing Vs just using his pace
I actually came in here to say exactly that. Maybe I'm biased because I was there but it seemed like he played a completely different ballgame to anyone else.
And this was after we had been treated to PRonaldo for years and he had been relegated to bit part player for almost half a decade.
I made a clip at the time. No longer on YT but I'll see if I can find it in some old laptop.
2012-13 was all about RVP and Carrick/Giggs CM.
The high level that Giggs played CM should tell you all about how good he was. And in a CM of two not 3. Also speaks to SAF genius in setting up the team where your CM is a 39 y/o former flying winger.
One of my fav moments of his is the RVP stoppage time equalizer against W Ham in FA Cup. One of my fav goals. What a pass, what a touch...
The high level that Giggs played CM should tell you all about how good he was. And in a CM of two not 3. Also speaks to SAF genius in setting up the team where your CM is a 39 y/o former flying winger.
One of my fav moments of his is the RVP stoppage time equalizer against W Ham in FA Cup. One of my fav goals. What a pass, what a touch...
I got to watch Giggs for at least 13 years and in my opinion he might be the most underrated winger in football history. A lot of peoole genuinely think he was just an also-ran in those great Fergie teams when in reality he was the beating heart of Fergie's teams. A winger with lightning speed and trickery yet the technical elegance of a top class central midfielder. I still have not seen a winger like that since he stopped playing. He was controlling games well into his 30s in central midfield. Truly one of the greatest wingers to ever play, off the field issues notwithstanding.
Prime Ryan Giggs today would be commanding fees north of £170m.
Prime Ryan Giggs today would be commanding fees north of £170m.
Always thought he’d have been even better in the modern era with inverted wingers, or as one of the attacking cm’s in a 433 / 343 like a Pep side.
A more versatile and longer career version of Gareth Bale.
Absolutely world class... Seeing some on here claim he was one of the weaker Fergie players.. really? Guy was brilliant. A brilliant playmaker, brilliant passer, brilliant crosser, brilliant dribbler, an elite creator and a hard worker defensively. Very smart player who adapted so well over the years too. It's incredibly rare to have a player with his mix of pace, dribbling, vision, and passing/crossing ability and he combined it for one of the most successful careers ever. Claiming otherwise is just straight up wrong and disrespectful. Shit finisher though to be honest. But as a creator, one of the very best.
Piece of shit outside of football. Genius on the pitch. One of my favourite players growing up, very unfortunate what he turned out to be.
Piece of shit outside of football. Genius on the pitch. One of my favourite players growing up, very unfortunate what he turned out to be.
His reputation suffers from lack of an out of this world season. For me thats balanced by his longevity and consistency of excellence
The only more recent equivalent of Giggs 1.0 was Robben at his dribbling best.
He was my favourite player when I was a kid. He's always been the blueprint for what I envisage a winger should be. Other than Ronaldo we haven't had a winger at this club who has come anywhere close to as good. Considering how long ago both last played for United on the wing that's quite sad
It's such a shame that his post retirement legacy has taken over his playing legacy. One of the greatest to have played the game.
Compare that to Ronaldo clips in al nassr. Goat my arse.
I miss watching him play. He burst onto the scene and took the PL by storm. And as he aged, he adapted his game and remained world class. For me, one of the best i've seen, i'm very glad we had him.
What a player Giggs was. Hi
Agreed! One of the best I have seen. And it was a privilege to have been able to watch such a talented player. His dribbling was so natural. He was United through and through. What a player.
Reading some of the posts in this thread got me thinking that his career length- for the same club with the same set of judging eyes by the same fans-
might also be a hindrance for him in a discussion like this, not only something to admire.
You're always gonna be able to find long stretches of time where he indeed didn't have a goal or an assist to his name,
or was just generally in the shadow of Keane, Becks, Cantona for a while... sure.
Does it mean that much, at the end of the day? Scholes had patches like that as well. You could bet you're ass that Pirlo or Xavi had them, but hardly any of us ever followed their careers from close range to know that.
I'd have loved to have seen prime Giggs in the same role as Di Maria for Real Madrid when he played as the most advanced of the 3 CMs so to speak.
would have been a sight to behold.
might also be a hindrance for him in a discussion like this, not only something to admire.
You're always gonna be able to find long stretches of time where he indeed didn't have a goal or an assist to his name,
or was just generally in the shadow of Keane, Becks, Cantona for a while... sure.
Does it mean that much, at the end of the day? Scholes had patches like that as well. You could bet you're ass that Pirlo or Xavi had them, but hardly any of us ever followed their careers from close range to know that.
I'd have loved to have seen prime Giggs in the same role as Di Maria for Real Madrid when he played as the most advanced of the 3 CMs so to speak.
would have been a sight to behold.
We really took these great players and games for granted. Now you see how our players struggle to do even the basics and then you watch these great players playing the game with such ease.
Not as good as John Keats or William Blake, but miles better than Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings.
I grew up with him as my fave player and my introduction to football, and when he went central he was still fantastic, pace to burn, a great range of passing and would have been a flying wingback today imo.
There's a clip I remember from 90s, Irwin and opponent sprinting back to retrieve the ball, Giggs comes out of nowhere, beats them both for pace and nicks the ball.
Since everything these days is G+A maybe he didn't do enough, but his contribution was still vital, an important part of 4 or 5 rebuilds by SAF.
There's a clip I remember from 90s, Irwin and opponent sprinting back to retrieve the ball, Giggs comes out of nowhere, beats them both for pace and nicks the ball.
Since everything these days is G+A maybe he didn't do enough, but his contribution was still vital, an important part of 4 or 5 rebuilds by SAF.
Great player, but painstakingly one footed!
Loved him growing up, but it turns out your heroes can be shitty people too.
Loved him growing up, but it turns out your heroes can be shitty people too.