Ryan Joseph Giggs,
OBE (born
Ryan Joseph Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh
footballer who plays for
Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the
1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the
1991–92 season. He established himself as a
left winger during the 1990s, and continued in this position well into the 2000s, though he has been increasingly used in a deeper
playmaking role in his later years. Giggs is known for his tireless running, ball possession and ability to create goalscoring opportunities for those around him.
Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. He also holds the club record for competitive appearances.During his time at United, he has won 13
Premier League winner's medals, four
FA Cup winner's medals, three
League Cupwinner's medals and two
Champions League winner's medals. He has two runner-up medals from the
Champions League, three FA Cup finals and two League Cup finals, as well as being part of the team five times when it finished second in the Premier League. In recent years, Giggs has
captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain
Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.
At international level, Giggs played for the
Welsh national team prior to his retirement from international football on 2 June 2007, and was once the youngest player to ever represent his country. Giggs was named one of the three overaged players for the
Great Britain team to compete at
2012 Summer Olympics, and was subsequently named as the team's captain.
In addition to the many honours Giggs has received within football such as being named in the
Football League 100 Legends (the last active player in the list), he was appointed an
OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, and was inducted into the
English Football Hall of Fame in 2005, for his services to English Football. He was named as
BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009. On 31 January 2011, Giggs was named Manchester United's greatest ever player by a worldwide poll conducted by United's official magazine and website. On 10 October 2011, Giggs was honoured with the 2011
Golden Foot Award.