Ryan Giggs 20 Years at the Top

Ryan Giggs Manchester United

In one sense, there was an element of symmetry to it. Last night, 20 years on, Ryan Giggs’ 863rd Manchester United appearance ended just as his first had: in defeat. Yet although Chelsea simply succeeded in doing to the Red Devils legend what Everton had to a skinny 17-year-old on 2 March 1991, there seemed something ill-fitting about the outcome at Stamford Bridge. After all, if there is one thing Giggs has perfected in the intervening decades, it is the art of winning.

As Jose Mourinho said in a tribute to evergreen 37-year-old: “The proof is in the medals.” Certainly, those winner's baubles – 11 in the Premier League, eight from domestic cups and two in the UEFA Champions League - have established Giggs as the most decorated player in English football history.

Sir Alex Ferguson has described him as the greatest player of the Premier League era, while United’s fans recently bestowed an even greater compliment by voting him the club’s greatest-ever player. Giggs, typically unassuming, said that he “genuinely couldn’t believe” he had beaten the likes of George Best and Bobby Charlton. But few elsewhere were surprised.

Ryan Giggs Wales

Everton captain Phil Neville said of his former team-mate: “He’s my hero. I know United have had some great players, but he’s won everything, he’s broken almost every record, so he stands alone now as probably one of the greatest players who has ever lived. Even now, he is still putting in unbelievable performances. If young players need to know how to live their lives, they should look no further than Ryan Giggs. He is the real football superstar.”

Longevity undoubtedly helped him edge ahead of players such as Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo, whose stars burned brightly at Old Trafford, but over a shorter period. Giggs, however, earns only deep admiration from Cantona for his ability to maintain not only his standards, but his desire.

"We are very different personalities," Cantona reflected. "Me, when I do things, I fall in love with them very quickly. I'm lucky because I have a lot of passions, so it's not a problem for me to go from one to another. But I admire this kind of person, I admire Ryan, because he still plays with a passion. I admire that, because it's so far away from my personality. It's the same for Paolo Maldini, players like this."

Maldini, a fellow model professional who survived - and thrived - over two decades at another of the world’s great clubs, is perhaps the only modern-day player whose achievements can be compared to those of Giggs. Yet no-one will need reminding that while the AC Milan icon starred in four FIFA World Cups, Giggs will retire having never graced the game’s greatest stage.

He was eligible to represent England, and Bryan Robson – an idol of his – made early overtures to persuade him to do just that. However, the Cardiff-born youngster’s mind was set on turning out for Wales, a choice that has left even some of his fellow countrymen to wonder what might have been.

"He's proud of his Welsh background like I am,” said Clayton Blackmore, who played alongside Giggs for both club and country. “But if he'd played for England during the seven or eight years when he was at his absolute best, he'd perhaps have been the greatest player on the world stage.”