Ryan Giggs Biography

Ryan Giggs, born on 29 November 1973 in Cardiff, Wales, is a former Welsh international footballer who has played throughout his professional career as a midfielder for Manchester United and Wales national team. He is currently the head coach of the Wales national team. Ryan Giggs first played for Manchester United in the 1991-1992 season. He played in the left midfield position during the 1990s and 2000s, although he was increasingly used in a more central midfield position in his later years.

At the international level, he played for the Wales national team from the age of seventeen, making him the youngest player to represent his country. He retired from international football on 2 June 2007. For the 2012 Olympic Games, Giggs was selected as one of three players over 23 years to represent Great Britain and was the captain of the team.

Ryan Giggs has long been the most successful player in the history of European football, with 35 titles to his name, joined by Dani Alves in 2018. He also holds the record for the most matches played for Manchester United. During his career, he won thirteen Premier League, four

, three

, and two

titles, among others.

In his later years, Ryan Giggs captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly during the 2007-2008 season, following Gary Neville's repeated injuries. He is one of the few outfield players to have won the

in three different decades.

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All You Need to Know About Ryan Giggs Biography

Ryan Giggs has won many individual awards. He is the first player in history to win the PFA Young Player of the Year trophy twice in a row in 1992 and 1993 but had to wait until 2009 to be named PFA Player of the Year. In 2003, he was named to the 1992-2002 Premier League Decade Team, and in 2007 to the PFA Centennial Team, as well as the FA Cup Centennial Team.

In 2011, the Welshman was voted Manchester United's best-ever player by Red Devils fans. He holds the record for the most assists in Premier League history (162 assists). In his professional football career, Ryan Giggs has played for only one club (

), had two managers (Alex Ferguson and David Moyes) and one agent (Harry Swales). He has been the coach of the Wales national team since 2018.

Ryan Giggs Information

So far we had an overview of Ryan Giggs biography and in this section, we will share some general information about him, before continuing on to more detailed sections of his biography, so stay tuned.

Ryan Giggs Bio

• Full Name: Ryan Joseph Giggs

• Birth Name: Ryan Joseph Wilson

• Nickname: Giggsy

• Profession: Professional Footballer

Ryan Giggs Physical Stats

• Weight: 72 Kg

• Height:  1.79 m

• Eye Color: Dark Brown

• Hair Color: Brown

Ryan Giggs Football Information

• Position: Midfielder

• Jersey Number: 11

• Professional Debut: 1990

Ryan Giggs Date of Birth and Personal Info

• Date of Birth: 29 November 1973

• Birth Place: Canton, Cardiff, Wales

• Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

• Nationality: Welsh

Stay tuned to read more of

Ryan Giggs biography

and

Ryan Giggs life story

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Ryan Giggs Early Life

Giggs was born Ryan Joseph Wilson at St David's Hospital in the Cardiff suburb of Canton. The original surname can be traced back to his father Danny Wilson, a grandson of a merchant navy sailor who immigrated from Sierra Leone in the 1920s and who, like many at the time, had settled in Cardiff's harbour district of Tiger Bay.

Wilson was a rugby player and made his way as an amateur in rugby union for Newport and Cardiff RFC. Mother Lynne Giggs, who like the father was 17 when Ryan was born, was a nurse. She also did other jobs to bring in enough money for the household. Two years after Ryan's birth, his brother Rhodri was born and the young family grew up in humble conditions in the suburb of Ely, west of the Welsh capital. Young Ryan spent a lot of time with his maternal grandparents, who lived in Pentrebane, where he also learned to play football on the street "around the corner".

His football talent became apparent at an early age. When the team was formed, his friends always chose him first or asked him to play in goal because of the unfair chances. While, according to observers, he owed the athletic qualities in the form of speed and agility as well as ball control to his father, his interest in football was more due to his mother, who was a supporter of the then second division English club

.

When his father accepted an offer from the English professional club Swinton RLFC in Rugby League, the family of four moved to the Manchester metropolitan area in Swinton. Giggs also took a serious interest in rugby between the ages of 10 and 14. He played up to four games at weekends, including football and rugby matches for Salford Boys and matches for Langworthy Rugby Club and Dean's Football Club in the Sunday League.

At

Ryan Giggs childhood

he also showed talent in rugby league and Langworthy was one of the best teams in the region, he was faced with a decision to leave at the end of his call-up to the Lancashire County team. He played in a game for Lancashire against a team from Cumbria and also played out his speed on the flank - a parallel to football - but the feeling of "having his heart in football" and not feeling like he belonged in the midst of the "big boys" led to the decision against rugby.

He enjoyed his time playing for Dean's FC, coached by Dennis Schofield, considerably more. Giggs' contract had come about when Schofield stopped at a pitch during his main job as a milkman, watching Giggs in a Salford Boys game and subsequently offering him a call-up to his team for the coming Sunday. The first game was lost 9-0 to Stretford Victoria, but the newcomer clearly stood out for his skills and at the end of the season Dean's team finished runners-up behind the "Vics".

Dennis Schofield was a scout of Man City, so he recommended City to sign up the young boy in their academy. At the same time, Giggs continued to play for the Salford Boys who reached the final of the Granada Schools Cup played at Anfield in 1987. As team captain, he led his team to victory over Blackburn (3-2). Of the three goals scored by his team, he made three assists and was voted man of the match. The trophy was given to him by Liverpool FC's recruiting director Ron Yeats. Stay tuned to read more of

Ryan Giggs biography

and his career.

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Ryan Giggs Profile

During his time at Deans FC, he was regularly monitored by the local press and the steward of Old Trafford, Harold Wood. The latter spoke to Alex Ferguson who decided to send an observer. Ryan Giggs was offered a trial during the Christmas holidays in 1986. With the Salford Boys, he played a match against Manchester United's under-15 team at The Cliff and scored a hat-trick. On 29 November 1987, on his fourteenth birthday, Alex Ferguson personally came to the home of Ryan Giggs alongside scout Joe Brown and offered him a two-year contract during which he could, if he wished, continue his schooling. They convinced the young man to sign by offering him the opportunity to become a professional in just three years.

After playing for Manchester United's youth ranks, he turned professional on 29 November 1990 on his 17th birthday, for which he was hailed by many sources as the greatest project in British football since George Best in 1960.

By that time, Manchester United had won the FA Cup, their first major trophy since the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson as a manager in November 1986. After two seasons in the league where they had finished in mid-table, they were finally beginning to challenge the domination of

and

, although they only managed to finish sixth in the season.

Ferguson was looking for a successful left-winger, which had not been possible since the departure of Jesper Olsen two years earlier. He had first signed Ralph Milne, but the player was not considered for United and lasted only one season in the first team before Ferguson secured striker Danny Wallace from Southampton in September 1989.

Giggs made his league debut against

at Old Trafford on 2 March 1991, replacing injured defender Denis Irwin in a 2-0 defeat. In his first complete match, Giggs scored his first goal in a 1-0 win over

on 4 May 1991. However, he was not included in the 16-player squad that beat Barcelona 2-1 in the European Cup Winners' Cup final 11 days later.

Lee Sharpe, who had won the race to replace Danny Wallace as United's regular left-winger, was selected as a left-winger, while Wallace was selected as a substitute. He became a first-team player at the beginning of the 1991/92 season.

Giggs has played for Manchester United for more years than any of his teammates and is the most successful player in the club's history. As a youngster, he was offered the chance to play for the English national team, but he gave it up in favour of his homeland. However, he has never played in a

, as since he has been international, the Welsh national team has never qualified for a World Cup. Despite this, he is considered one of the best left-wing players in history.

In 1999, Ryan was part of the historic United team that won the treble (Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup), being the first and only English team to win it.

In 2008, his team reached the pinnacle of world football by winning the Premier League and the Champions League, achieving another historic double.

In the Champions League final, played at the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Giggs scored one of the decisive penalties that earned the English club its third UEFA Champions League title. It took nine years from the last European trophy won by Manchester United for Ryann Giggs, along with Paul Scholes, to lift the great cup that has made them one of Europe's top clubs.

In the qualifying round of the Europa League in Bilbao, on 15 March 2012, against

, he received a standing ovation when he left the pitch at the San Mamés Stadium, in recognition of his career. Without a doubt one of the most unexpected plaudits in his long football career.

Ryan Giggs is Manchester United's most-capped player in history. He reached his 1000th competitive match on March 5, 2013, against Real Madrid in the Champions League (932 with Manchester United, 64 with Wales and 4 with the British national team). In Manchester United, he has scored 167 goals in his career. On 2 October 2013, he played his 145th UEFA Champions League match, making him the sole record holder at the time.

Giggs also became David Moyes' player-coach for the 2013/14 season. On 22 April 2014, Giggs took over the team as interim coach until the end of the season. On 6 May 2014, in his last game at Old Trafford, Giggs substituted himself for Tom Lawrence in the 70th minute of the game in a 3-1 win over Hull City and set up the final goal himself. That makes him, with 131 assists, the player with the most assists in the Premier League. It was his 963rd appearance for United. He announced his retirement after the season.

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Wales National Team

Giggs played for the England schoolboys early in his career but then started playing for the Welsh national team. He made his debut on 5 June 1991 in a match against Germany. So Ryan, who was 17 years and 321 days old, became the youngest player in the history of the Welsh national team. In total, he played 64 games for the national team from 1991 to 2007, in which he scored 12 goals. He was appointed Wales captain in 2004.

Giggs has been criticised for his reluctance to appear in national team friendlies. Since making his debut against

in 1991, Giggs has not played in a friendly for Wales for nine years, missing 18 such games in a row. The stated official reason for Giggs' absence from such games has in all cases been cited as injury. Former Manchester United head coach Alex Ferguson was reluctant to release club players to national teams for friendlies.

On 30 May 2007, Giggs called a press conference to announce his retirement from playing for the national team. He cited his desire to concentrate fully on his club career as the main reason for this decision. The last match Giggs played for the national team was Euro 2008 qualifying match against the Czech Republic, which took place on June 2 in Cardiff.

Managerial

For the 2013/14 season, Giggs became assistant coach to new manager David Moyes in addition to his role as a player. When Moyes was sacked on 22 April 2014, Giggs took over the team as interim coach until the end of the season. For the 2014/15 season, Giggs - from then on only in the coaching team - moved back to the position of assistant coach to new manager Louis van Gaal. In the summer of 2016, after the signing of José Mourinho, he left Manchester United after 29 years, on 2 July 2016.

Wales

On 15 January 2018, Giggs began his independent coaching career, becoming head coach of the Welsh national team. On 22 March 2018, Giggs made his debut as head coach in a 6-0 win over China. Under the new coach, the Welsh national team managed to qualify for Euro 2020, finishing second in their qualifying group ahead of Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, but behind Croatia.

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Style of Play

Ryan Giggs quickly established himself on the left-wing of Manchester United, where his dribbling skills, speed and precise passes made him a favorite of Old Trafford. Giggs showed his ability to score spectacular goals, many of which were shortlisted for the "Goal of the Season" award.

Among his finest goals was his solitary run against Arsenal during the replay match against them in the 1998-99 FA Cup semi-final: during extra time, Giggs picked up the ball following an interception on Patrick Vieira, then from his own team, dribbled the entire Arsenal defenders, including Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown, before shooting with his left foot under David Seaman's goal.

The Welshman is also known for his self-control. In 24 seasons with Manchester United, he was never sent off. The only red card Giggs received in his career was on 5 September 2001 with Wales in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match against Norway; the midfielder received a second yellow card in the 86th minute.

Reception

Early in his career, Giggs was considered a prospective superstar in British football. As a young winger, comparisons with the Northern Irishman George Best were inevitable, helped by the fact that Ryan Giggs' birthday coincided with Best's final days at United - legend has it that Best left the club ground for the last time on Giggs' birthday, but effectively played his last game on New Year's Eve 1974. During his career at Man United, he proved to be one of the best footballers the club ever had.

Goal Celebration

As a left-winger, Ryan Giggs has scored many goals during his career (168), but one thing to note is that he never had a signature goal celebration and tried different ones each time he scored a goal for Manchester United. But one goal celebration that United fans can never forget was when he scored a great solo goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinal rematch. After the goal, he took off his shirt and ran to the team bench.

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Ryan Giggs outside Football

Giggs has featured in advertising campaigns for Reebok, Solvil et Titus, Citizen Watches, Givenchy, Fuji, Patek Philippe, Quorn, ITV Digital and Celcom. Quote from BBC Sport article: "In the early 1990s, Giggs was David Beckham even before Beckham himself started playing for United. If you put his face on the cover of a football magazine, you were guaranteed the biggest sales of the year. Why? Men bought the magazine to read about the "new Best" and girls because they wanted to put posters of Giggs all over their bedroom. Giggs had a million-pound contract with Reebok, a lucrative sponsorship deal with Fuji, and also dated celebrity girls (Dani Behr, Davinia Taylor) while Beckham went on loan to Preston North End."

In November 2003, Giggs was mentioned in an episode of the animated series The Simpsons called The Regina Monologues, set in England.

In early 2009, a portrait of Ryan Giggs painted by Peter Edwards was purchased by the National Library of Wales for £10,000 and placed in the library building in Aberystwyth.

In summer 2014, he bought Salford City, along with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Phil Neville.

Ryan Giggs Personal Life

In this section

Ryan Giggs biography

, we want to take a look at his personal life and share some information about his family and relationships and also

Ryan Giggs religion

. Stay tuned.

Family, Children and Relationships

On 7 September 2007 Giggs married Stacey Cook, whom he had been dating for a long time; the marriage ceremony was private. The couple has two children, Liberty (also known as Libby) and Zach. The couple finally divorced in April 2016 after his alleged affair with a waitress at George's, the upmarket Manchester restaurant he opened in 2014. Their marriage was already broken up when his wife discovered that he had been having an eight-year affair with his younger brother wife's, Natasha Lever.

Giggs' little brother, Rhodi has sworn never to forgive him for his affair with his wife. Reports also suggest that Giggs had another relationship with former Miss Wales Imogen Thomas. Since their divorce, Ryan Giggs has been locked in a £40m divorce battle. The former Manchester United and Wales midfielder has been in a lengthy court battle with his wife Stacey over part of the fortune he amassed during a career spanning 24 years.

Philanthropy

Ryan Giggs is amongst the footballers who are active in charitable works. In addition to appearing at many fundraising matches, he has also a member of many initiatives. Giggs is involved as an ambassador with Show Racism the Red Card.

Giggs is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was involved in a 2002 campaign drawing attention to the deaths of children from land mines. During a UNICEF mission visit to Thailand, he told the BBC: "As a footballer, I can't imagine life without one of my legs... Unfortunately, this is what happens to thousands of children every year when they accidentally step on an anti-personnel mine."

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Legal Issues

It was claimed in non-UK media outlets in May 2011 that Giggs is its identity of CTB in CTB v News Group Newspapers, a soccer player who had received an anonymous gagging order in conjunction with a suspected extra-marital relationship with Imogen Thomas, a famous model. Giggs pursued legal action against the Twitter social networking platform after being mentioned by a user in a compilation of names of individuals who had supposedly taken so-called 'super-injunctions.'

Forbes magazine blogger noted that Giggs had 'not learned of the Streisand effect,' adding that the discussion of his name had risen dramatically after the lawsuit against Twitter had been announced. The Sunday Herald, a Scottish publication, released a thinly-disguised picture of Giggs on its front page on 22 May 2011, hiding his eyes with the phrase 'CENSORED.' Sunday Herald journalist Richard Walker argued that the verdict of the High Court in London held little effect in Scotland because copies of the paper had been distributed in Wales or England.

The gagging order caused a political debate on 23 May 2011, with Prime Minister David Cameron claiming that the legislation should be changed to "keep up with how people consume media today." Liberal Democratic MP John Hemming utilized parliamentary privilege on the same day to appoint Giggs as CTB.

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Ryan Giggs Career Statistics

In this section of Ryan Giggs biography, let’s take a look at brief stats from his playing and managerial career.

Club

During his playing time, which all of it was at Man United, Ryan Giggs has played a total of 963 matches in all competitions for the Red Devils, scoring 168 goals.

International

Ryan Giggs nationality

is Welsh and therefore at the international level, Ryan Giggs has represented

on 64 occasions, scoring 12 goals for them. He has also played 4 matches for Great Britain Olympic football team in 2012, scoring 1 goal.

Managerial

Ryan Giggs is the manager of Wales national team since 2018 and during his spell there, his team so far played 24 matches, winning 12, drawing 4 and losing 8 matches. His win percentage in Wales is 50 percent.

Ryan Giggs Honors

Ryan Giggs is one of the most decorated footballers to ever play the game. During his career at Manchester United, he has won many titles which the most notable of them include Premier League for 13 times, FA Cup for 4 times, UEFA Champions League for 2 times and FIFA Club World Cup.

He has numerous individual titles namely PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year, Manchester United Players' Player of the Year, UEFA Champions League 10 Seasons Dream Team and many others.

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