The 2nd March 1991 is a day that will forever have a place in the hearts of every Manchester United fan.
On this day 22 years ago, Ryan Giggs made his Premier League debut, and the legacy of one of the greatest players of the Premier League era began.
I was not born until a few months later so unfortunately I missed the early years of his career, but his performances and achievements in those years are still etched in my mind. And 22 years later, he is on the verge of his 1000th appearance for club and country, and still playing well at the age of 39.
The Cardiff born midfielder/winger was born Ryan Wilson in 1973 to Welsh rugby player Danny Wilson and Lynne Giggs, and grew up with younger brother Rhodri. When his father switched from rugby union to rugby league and signed for Swinton RLFC, the family moved to the town in Salford, Greater Manchester. Ryan was 6 at that point, and began playing for the local Deans FC, managed by the scout Dennis Schofield, who also worked for Manchester City.
The famous story goes that Schofield recommended Giggs to City, and he even joined their School of Excellence. When it came to signing a contract in November 1987, however, Sir Alex Ferguson and United chief scout Joe Wilson were quicker off the mark and offered 14 year old Giggs the chance of turning professional within 3 years. The rest, as they say is history – he signed a professional contract at Old Trafford in 1990.
Although he is a proud Welshman, Giggs turned out for England schoolboys as captain in a fixture against Germany at Wembley in 1989. People have speculated that he would have been eligible to play for England but this was never the case – schoolboy eligibility was based upon the location of the school.
He made his Wales debut in 1991, at that point breaking the record for the youngest debutant for the country, and represented them 64 times, scoring 12 goals. It would have been more but he was hampered by Ferguson’s reluctance to release players for friendlies, as well as his own desire to continue his United career for as long as possible.
But it is at United that his tale has truly been told.
The winner of 12 Premier League titles, the last one coming in May 2011; 2 UEFA Champions League trophies; 4 FA Cups; 4 Football League Cups and a range of other club honours. The word legend is thrown around too often in modern football that the term loses its sense of aura, but if anyone from the last 20 years deserves that title, it is Giggs.
His famous goal against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park against Arsenal deserves all the praise that is thrown at it – a wonderful solo run and finish that left David Seaman staring in admiration.
But this is certainly not the only fantastic goal he has scored – the goal that brought up his record for scoring in 23 consecutive seasons against Everton in February 2013 showed he has still got the skills to deliver, even if the pace isn’t there in the same way.
Giggs’ name will sit alongside the other greats of the game in the all-time appearance tables – Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence, Alan Ball and other players of their ilk. And he doesn’t look out of place at all.
By Daniel Matcham @boymetworld91
