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ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications and Granada plc. It was particularly noted for its failure to break into the digital television market.

History[link]

Digital terrestrial television (DTT) started in the UK in 1998. Six multiplexes were set up, with three of them allocated to the existing analogue broadcasters. The other three multiplexes were auctioned off. A consortium of Carlton Television, Granada Television and British Sky Broadcasting won the auction as British Digital Broadcasting (BDB). The brand ONdigital was adopted for launch. BSkyB was forced by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to withdraw from the consortium on competition grounds; this effectively placed Sky in direct competition with the newly launched service (although BSkyB was still forced to provide key channels such as Sky Movies and Sky Sports to the service). In all ONdigital was given one year from winning the licence to launching the world's first DTT service. In addition to launching audio and video services they also led the specification of an industry-wide advanced interactive engine (based on MHEG-5). This was an open standard that was then used by all broadcasters on DTT.

The new digital broadcaster was launched on 15 November 1998, with a lineup of 18 channels, including many channels developed in-house by Carlton and Granada.^[1] On 7 March 2000, Onmail was launched,^[2] followed closely on 18 September 2000, by ONdigital launching an Internet television service, ONnet,^[3] and in the same year a deal with multiplex operator SDN led to the launch of pay-per-view service ONrequest.

From the launch date, however, the service was quickly losing money. Aggressive marketing by BSkyB for their own digital service, Sky Digital, made the ONdigital offer look unattractive. The new digital satellite service provided a dish, Digibox, installation and around 200 channels for £159, a lower price than ONdigital at £199. ONdigital's subscription pricing had been set to compare with the older Sky analogue service of 20 channels. ONdigital also failed to realise that Sky had cast off its downmarket image and believed there was considerable public antipathy towards Sky (and Rupert Murdoch); but this appeared to matter much less than they had hoped.^{[citation needed]}

The ONdigital management team hoped to obtain the upper hand by a series of 'free set top box' promotions (initially at retailers such as Currys and Dixons) when ONdigital receiving equipment was purchased at the same time as a television set or similarly priced piece of equipment. These offers eventually became permanent, with the set-top box 'loaned' to the customer at no charge for as long as they continued to subscribe to ONdigital. The offer was swiftly matched by Sky.

Additional problems for ONdigital were caused by the choice of 64QAM broadcast mode, coupled with far weaker than expected broadcast power, (meaning that the signal was weak in many areas), a complex pricing structure (comprising many menu options), a poor quality subscriber management system (badly adapted from Canal+), a paper magazine TV guide whereas BSkyB had provided an electronic programme guide (EPG), insufficient technical customer services, and much signal piracy. While there was a limited return path provided via an in-built 2400 baud modem, there was no requirement (as with BSkyB) to connect the set-top box's modem to a phone line.

Later problems occurred when ONdigital began to sell 'ONprepaid', a set-top box bundle sold in high street stores and supermarkets at a price that included - in theory - the set-top box on loan and the first year's subscription package. Thousands of these packages were also sold at well below retail price on auction sites such as the then-popular QXL. As the call to activate the viewing card did not require any bank details, many ONdigital boxes which were technically on loan were at unverifiable addresses. This was later changed so a customer could not walk away with a box without ONdigital verifying their address. Many customers did not activate the viewing card at all, although where the viewer's address was known, ONdigital would write informing them that they must activate before a certain deadline.^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, the OnDigital pay-per-view channels had been encrypted using a system - SECA MediaGuard - which had been subsequently cracked. ITV Digital did not update this system, therefore it was very easy for people to produce and sell counterfeit subscription cards which would give access to all the channels.^[4] In 2002, Canal+ accused News Corp of extracting the UserROM code from the MediaGuard cards and leaking it onto the internet.^[5] Canal+ brought a lawsuit against News Corporation alleging that they, with the help of NDS, had been working on breaking the MediaGuard smartcards used by Canal+, ITV Digital and other non-Murdoch-owned TV companies throughout Europe. ^[6][7] The action was later partially dropped after News Corporation agreed to buy Canal Plus's struggling Italian operation Telepiu. ^[8][9] Other legal action by Echostar/NagraStar was being pursued as late as August 2005 accusing NDS of the same wrongdoing.^[10] In 2008, NDS was found to have broken piracy laws by hacking EchoStar Communications’ smart card system, however only $1,500 in statutory damages were awarded.^[11]

Finally, Carlton and Granada had chosen not to employ ONdigital management and staff directly, so many people were on short-term contracts and key people left with no notice.

Rebranding[link]

In desperation at the churn rate, Carlton and Granada turned to their most valuable asset - the ITV brand - and on 11 July 2001 rebranded ONdigital as ITV Digital.^[12] They also (in a very expensive deal) purchased the TV rights to the Football League and launched the ITV Sport Channel. A massive re-branding campaign was launched to support the new naming, with customers even being sent ITV Digital stickers to place over the existing ONdigital logos on their remote controls and set top boxes. The software running on the receivers was never changed though, and always displayed 'ON' on nearly every screen.^[13] A plan to change the onscreen software was planned along with a change to a stronger encryption system in Autumn 2002 however this of course never arose due to liquidation. The rebrand was not without controversy as SMG plc (owner of Scottish Television and Grampian Television), UTV and Channel Television all pointed out that the ITV brand did not belong solely to Carlton and Granada. SMG and UTV initially refused to carry the advertising campaign for ITV Digital and did not allow the ITV Sports Channel space on their multiplex, meaning that it was not available at launch in most of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The case was resolved in Scotland,^[14] and the Channel Islands and later still in Northern Ireland, allowing the ITV Sport Channel to launch in the non-Carlton and Granada regions (although it was never made available in the Channel Islands, as the islands do not have DTT or Cable and it never appeared on Sky Digital).

Monkey[link]

ITV Digital also ran a famous advertising campaign involving the comedian Johnny Vegas and a knitted monkey (voiced by Ben Miller). A replica knitted monkey could be obtained by signing up to ITV Digital. Because the monkey could not be obtained without signing up to the service, a popular market for second-hand monkeys developed. At one time, original ITV Digital Monkeys were fetching several hundred pounds on eBay,^[15] and even knitting patterns delivered by email were sold for several pounds. In early 2007, the knitted monkey and Johnny Vegas reappeared in an advert for PG Tips tea, which included a reference to ITV Digital's downfall.

Administration and Freeview[link]

These changes failed to revive the broadcaster. Indeed, the cost of the Football League deal proved one too many a burden for ITV Digital, and it was placed into administration on 27 March 2002, after the League refused to accept a £130m pay cut in its £315m deal with the ITV Sport Channel. Most subscription channels ceased broadcasting on ITV Digital on 1 May 2002. The collapse caused severe financial difficulties for lower-division football clubs who had budgeted for large incomes from the television contract. The Football League sued ITV Digital's parent companies, Carlton and Granada, claiming that the firms had breached their contract in failing to deliver the guaranteed income. The League lost the case, with the judge ruling that it had "failed to extract sufficient written guarantees". The League then filed a negligence claim against its lawyers for failing to press for a written guarantee at the time of the deal with ITV Digital. This time it was awarded a paltry £4 in damages of the £150m it was seeking.^[16]

A consortium made up of the BBC, BSkyB and Crown Castle International was granted ITV Digital's old broadcasting licence, and launched the Freeview service on 30 October 2002, offering 30 free-to-air TV channels and 20 free-to-air radio channels including several interactive channels such as BBCi and Teletext but no subscription or premium services. Those followed on March 31, 2004 when Top Up TV began broadcasting eleven pay TV channels in timeshared broadcast slots.

During 2002, ITV Digital's liquidators started to ask customers to return set top boxes or pay a £39.99 fee. This deteriorated from a request to a plea, with one liquidator's representative speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC 97.3 to justify why they wanted the money, but when asked 'How are you going to force people to return these boxes, are you going to employ collection agencies?' the response was a feeble 'Please, I just want them back'. Had the move been successful, this could have threatened to undermine the fledgling Freeview service, since at the time most digital terrestrial receivers were former ONdigital and ITV Digital units. Carlton and Granada stepped in and paid £2.8m to have the boxes stay with their customers, as at the time the ITV companies received a discount on their licence payments based on the number of digital homes they had converted. Second hand ONdigital receivers are widely available from sources such as eBay and were fully compatible with the successor Freeview system (and also with Top Up TV). They do have some drawbacks however: they are slower than more modern boxes with faster processors (ONdigital receivers often take several seconds to change channel for example) and lack support for the full Freeview Electronic Programme Guide, as this feature was introduced well after the ONdigital receiver software was written. The receiver software can also be buggy, causing the boxes lock up and refuse to respond to keypresses on the remote control. In addition, the set top boxes do not support the '8k' transmission mode which is being introduced across the UK following 'digital switchover' in each region.

Following the administration in 2002, the three multiplexes that were run by ITV Digital remained blank until a week or so before Freeview's launch. However, E4 and FilmFour continued broadcasting for over two weeks after the shutdown. Strangely however, E4 carried subtitles until the placeholder was deleted in September 2002. Most of the original ITV Digital channel placeholders and Logical Channel Numbers were kept until Freeview's replaced them, leaving large gaps between channels.

ITV Digital operated out of Marco Polo House, the south London building home to shopping channel QVC and which had once housed The Observer newspaper, but perhaps most famous as the lavish headquarters of the ill-fated British Satellite Broadcasting. ITV Digital had call centres located in Pembroke Dock, Plymouth and used outsourced BT call centres in Cork, Republic of Ireland and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

List of channels[link]

This was the list of channels just before the service ceased transmission. It also features channels that closed before the date.

Key[link]

List[link]

Set top boxes[link]

This is a list of ex-ITV and ONdigital set-top boxes. All boxes used similar software, in that a unified interface and design was used between all models. Top Up TV provided a small update in 2004 which upgraded minor technicalities with encryption services.

• Nokia Mediamaster 9850T
• Pace Micro Technology DTR-730, DTR-735
• Philips DTX 6370, DTX 6371, DTX 6372
• Pioneer DBR-T200, DBR-T210
• Sony VTX-D500U
• Toshiba DTB2000

Dating from the first days of digital terrestrial transmissions in 1998-2002, the boxes were generally more cumbersome than more modern offerings, but nevertheless initially still comptible with subsequent Freeview broadcasts. MHEG services ran noticeably slower. However, all these set top boxes (and some ONdigital branded IDTVs) become unusable in regions after the following digital switchover (DSO), as post-DSO broadcasts utilise a newer 8k modulation scheme with which this earlier equipment is not compatible, compared to the 2k modulation used by initial DTT broadcasts in the UK. Since no other European countries use the 2k format, this effectively ends the useful life of any remaining boxes that were still in use.

iDTVs[link]

ONdigital and ITVdigital could also be received with an Integrated Digitial Television (iDTV) receiver. They used a Conditional Access Module (CAM) with a smart card, plugged in to a DVB Common Interface slot in the back of the set.

Purchasers of iDTVs were given a substantially discounted price on using the ONdigital service, as there was no cost for a set-top box.

Some of the original iDTVs needed firmware upgrades to work with the CAM. For example, Sony sent technicians out to homes to make the necessary updates free of charge.

Carlton/Granada digital television channels[link]

Carlton and Granada (later ITV Digital Channels Ltd) created a selection of channels, which formed some of the core content of channels available via the service, which were:

Timeline of events[link]

• 1997
  • 25 June 1997 - The Independent Television Commission (ITC) award the sole DTT broadcast licence to British Digital Broadcasting
  • 20 December 1997 - The ITC award the three pay-TV digital multiplex licences to BDB
• 1998
  • 29 July 1998 - BDB rebrand as ONdigital
  • 15 November 1998 - Formal broadcasting begins
• 2000
  • 1 May 2000 - Formal broadcasting of pay-per-view (PPV) service ONrequest begins
• 2001
  • 11 July 2001 - ONdigital rebrand as ITV Digital
  • 22 August 2001 - PPV service ONrequest rebrands as ITV Select
• 2002
  • 27 March 2002 - ITV Digital placed into administration
  • 1 May 2002 - Pay-TV operations cease
  • 30 October 2002 - Formal broadcasting of replacement Freeview service begins

See also[link]

• British Sky Broadcasting
• Top Up TV
• Freeview
• NDS Group

References[link]

External links[link]

• ONdigital in liquidation Information for subscribers
• ONdigital history site
• ITV Digital / PG Tips Monkey Mavis, 8 March 2009 - Knitting kit for Monkey
• ITV Digital goes broke BBC News, 27 March 2002
• Set-top box offers low-cost digital BBC News, 29 March 2002

v t e ITV Channels Current Domestic SD: ITV1 / STV / UTV / Channel Television · ITV2 · ITV3 · ITV4 · CITV · The Zone HD: ITV1 HD / STV HD / UTV HD · ITV2 HD · ITV3 HD · ITV4 HD International ITV Granada Defunct ITV News Channel · ITV Sport Channel · S2 · UTV2 Companies Current Channel Television Ltd · ITV plc (ITV Breakfast Ltd) · STV Group plc · UTV Media plc Former Alpha Television · Carlton Communications plc · Granada plc · Granada Productions · ITV Digital Ltd · Trident Television · Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television Divisions, brands and services Current Children's: CITV · News: ITV News (ITN) · Sport: ITV Sport · Production: ITV Studios  · Weather: ITV Weather · Mobile: ITV Mobile · Online: itv.com / stv.tv / u.tv / channelonline.tv  · Catch up: ITV Player / STV Player / UTV Player / ctvPlayer Defunct ITV Digital · ITV Local · ITV Schools Franchises and regions National franchises Breakfast: TV-am (1983-1992), GMTV (1993-2010), ITV Breakfast (2010-) · Teletext: ORACLE (1974-1992), Teletext Ltd. (1993-) Regional franchises Northern Scotland: Grampian · Central Scotland: Scottish · Scottish/English Border: Border · Northern Ireland: UTV · North East England: Tyne Tees · Yorkshire/Lincolnshire: Yorkshire · North of England (weekdays), later North West England (all week) and Isle of Man: Granada · North of England and Midlands (weekends): ABC · Wales and the West of England: TWW, WWN, ITSWW, HTV · Midlands (weekdays) and London (weekends), later Midlands (all week): ATV · Midlands (all week): Central · East Anglia: Anglia · London (weekdays): Rediffusion, Thames, Carlton · London (weekends): ATV, LWT · South and South East England: Southern, TVS, Meridian · South West England: Westward, TSW, Westcountry · Channel Islands: Channel Unsuccessful franchise bids London Weekday, East Anglia and South and South East England: CPV-TV · North West England: North West Television Non-franchise regions Current ITV Anglia · ITV Central · ITV Channel Television · ITV Granada · ITV London · ITV Meridian · ITV Tyne Tees & Border · ITV Wales · ITV West and Westcountry · ITV Yorkshire · STV · UTV Defunct ITV Border · ITV Thames Valley · ITV Tyne Tees · ITV West · ITV Westcountry Regulators ITA (1954-72) · IBA (1972-91) · ITC (1991-2003) · Ofcom (2003-present) Other Freesat (Channels) · History of ITV (Idents · ITV Emergency National Service (1968) · ITV Telethon · Night Network) · ITV Nightscreen · People (Journalists and newsreaders) · Programmes · Television House · United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting Category ·  Commons

Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs in November 2009
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Joseph Giggs[1]
Date of birth	(1973-11-29) 29 November 1973 (age 38)
Place of birth	Cardiff, Wales
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Manchester United
Number	11
Youth career
1985–1987	Manchester City
1987–1991	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1991–	Manchester United	638	(112)
National team
1989	England U16	1	(1)
1989	Wales U18	3	(0)
1990	Wales U21	2	(0)
1991–2007	Wales	64	(12)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:26, 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals).

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE^[3] (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 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 continuing in this position well into the 2000s, though he has been increasingly used in a deeper playmaking role in his latter years. Giggs is known for his tireless running, ball possession and ability to create goalscoring opportunities for those around him.^[4]

Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history.^[5] He also holds the club record for competitive appearances.^[6] During his time at United, he has won 12 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner'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.

Giggs has a number of personal achievements. He was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993), though he did not win the PFA Player of the Year award until 2009. He is the only player to have played and scored in every season of the Premier League.^[7][8] He has been elected into the PFA Team of the Century in 2007,^[9] the Premier League Team of the Decade, in 2003, as well as the FA Cup Team of the Century. Giggs holds the record for the most assists in Premier League history, with 271.^[10]

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.

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.^[11] 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.^[12] On 10 October 2011, Giggs was honoured with the 2011 Golden Foot Award.

Early years[link]

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Born as Ryan Joseph Wilson^[13] (he later adopted his mother's maiden name as his professional surname) at St David's Hospital in Canton, Cardiff, to Danny Wilson, at the time a rugby union player for Cardiff RFC who would go on to become a Wales international representative in rugby league, and Lynne Giggs (now Lynne Johnson). As a child Giggs grew up in Ely, a suburb of western Cardiff. His younger brother, Rhodri, manages non-league Salford City.

He spent much time with his mother's parents and playing football on the roads outside their house in Pentrebane. In 1980, when Giggs was six years old, his father switched rugby codes and signed for Swinton RLFC, forcing the whole family to move north to Swinton, a town in Salford, Greater Manchester. The move was a traumatic one, as Giggs was very close to his grandparents in Cardiff, but he would often return there with his family at weekends or on school holidays. Giggs is mixed race – his paternal grandfather is from Sierra Leone – and has spoken of the racism he faced as a child.^[14]

After moving to Salford, Giggs appeared for the local team, Deans FC, who were coached by Manchester City scout Dennis Schofield. Schofield recommended Giggs to Manchester City, and he was signed up to their School of Excellence. Meanwhile, Giggs continued to play for Salford Boys, who went on to reach the final of the Granada Schools Cup competition at Anfield in 1987. Giggs captained the Salford team to victory over their Blackburn counterparts, and the trophy was presented to him by Liverpool chief scout Ron Yeats.

While playing for Deans, Giggs was observed regularly by local newsagent and Old Trafford steward Harold Wood. Wood spoke personally to Alex Ferguson who sent a scout, and Giggs was eventually offered a trial over the 1986 Christmas period. Giggs played in a match for Salford Boys against a United Under-15s side at The Cliff and scored a hat trick, with Ferguson watching from his office window. On 29 November 1987 (his 14th birthday), Ferguson turned up at Giggs's house with United scout Joe Brown and offered him two years on associate schoolboy forms. They offered to waive YTS forms, and persuaded Giggs to sign by offering the opportunity to turn professional in three years. Using the name Ryan Wilson, Giggs captained England at schoolboy level, playing at Wembley Stadium against Germany in 1989.^[15] He changed his surname at the age of 16, when his mother remarried. His parents had separated two years earlier.^[16]

Manchester United first team[link]

1990-1995: Debut and early career[link]

Giggs was offered his first professional contract on 29 November 1990 (his 17th birthday). He accepted the contract and became a professional two days later (1 December 1990).

At this time, United had recently won the FA Cup – their first major trophy since the appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in November 1986. After two seasons in the league where they had finished mid table, they were finally starting to threaten the dominance of Liverpool and Arsenal, though they only managed to finish sixth that season. Ferguson's quest for a successful left winger had not been an easy one since the departure of Jesper Olsen two years earlier; he had initially signed Ralph Milne, but the player was not a success at United and lasted just one season in the first team before Ferguson secured the Southampton winger Danny Wallace in September 1989. Wallace had failed to shine at Old Trafford, and by the time Giggs turned professional Wallace was contending with 19-year-old Lee Sharpe for the role of first choice left winger.^{[citation needed]}

Giggs made his League debut against Everton at Old Trafford on 2 March 1991, as a substitute for the injured full-back Denis Irwin in a 2–0 defeat. In his first full start, Giggs was credited with his first ever goal in a 1–0 win in the Manchester derby on 4 May 1991, though it appeared to be a Colin Hendry own goal. However, he was not included in the squad of 16 that defeated Barcelona in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final 11 days later. Lee Sharpe, who had won the race to displace Danny Wallace, took to the field as United's left winger, while Wallace was selected as a substitute. Giggs became a first-team regular early in the 1991–92 season, yet remained active with the youth system and captained the team, made up of many of "Fergie's Fledglings", to an FA Youth Cup triumph in 1992.^{[citation needed]}

Giggs broke into the first team even though he was still aged only 17, and paved the way as the first of many Manchester United youth players to rise into the first team under Ferguson. As the youngest member of the United first team squad, Giggs looked to the older players such as Bryan Robson for advice. Robson recommended that Giggs sign up with Harry Swales, the agent that he himself had inherited from Kevin Keegan.^[17]

That season, Giggs played in the team that finished as runners-up to Leeds United in the final year of the old First Division before the advent of the Premier League. United had led the table for much of the season before a run of dismal results in April saw them overtaken by the West Yorkshire side. Giggs collected his first piece of silverware on 12 April 1992 as United defeated Nottingham Forest in the League Cup Final, after Giggs had set up Brian McClair to score the only goal of the game. At the end of the season, he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year – the award which had been credited to his colleague Lee Sharpe a year earlier.^{[citation needed]}

By the start of the 1992–93 season, the first season of the newly formed Premier League, Giggs had ousted Sharpe to become United's first-choice left winger. He was recognised one of English football's two best emerging young wingers, alongside Steve McManaman,^[18] who were notable for being a throwback to the Stanley Matthews era of the 1950s' wingers.^[19] Giggs helped United to their first top division title win for 26 years.

Giggs playing for United.

His emergence and the arrival of Eric Cantona heralded the dominance of United in the Premier League. Ferguson was protective of him, refusing to allow Giggs to be interviewed until he turned 20, eventually granting the first interview to the BBC's Des Lynam for Match of the Day in the 1993–94 season. United won the double that season, and Giggs was one of their key players alongside the likes of Eric Cantona, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes. Giggs also played for United in the Football League Cup final, where they lost 3–1 to Aston Villa.

Off the pitch, newspapers claimed Giggs had "single-handedly revolutionised football's image" when he appeared as teenager "with pace to burn, a bramble patch of black hair bouncing around his puppy popstar face, and a dazzling, gluey relationship between his impossibly fleet left foot and a football."^[20] As a result of this, he was afforded many opportunities not normally offered to footballers at his young age, such as hosting his own television show, Ryan Giggs' Soccer Skills, which aired in 1994, and also had a book based on the series. Giggs was part of the Premier League's attempt to market itself globally, and he featured on countless football and lad mag covers, becoming a household name and fuelling the era where footballers started to become celebrity idols on a par with pop stars,^[21] in and around the mid to late 1990s. Despite his aversion to attention, Giggs also became a teenage pin-up and was once described as the "Premiership's First Poster Boy",^[22] and the "boy wonder",.^[23] He was hailed as the first football star to capture the public imagination in a way unseen since the days of George Best;^[24] the irony was that Best and Bobby Charlton used to describe Giggs as their favourite young player, turning up at The Cliff training ground just to watch him. Best once quipped, "One day they might even say that I was another Ryan Giggs."^[24]

At the end of the 1993–94 season, Giggs won a second title in a row, and became the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards, a feat equalled by Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney.^[25]

Giggs proved to be a scorer of great goals, with many of them being shortlisted for various Goal of the Season awards. Widely regarded as among his best were those against Queens Park Rangers in 1993, Tottenham in 1994, Everton in 1995, Coventry in 1996, and his solo-goal against Arsenal in the replay of the 1999 FA Cup semi-final. During extra time, Giggs picked up possession after Patrick Vieira gave the ball away, then ran from the half-way line, dribbled past the whole Arsenal back line, including Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown before launching his left-footed strike just under David Seaman's bar and beyond his reach. He famously whipped off his shirt as he ran to celebrate with his teammates. It also has the distinction of being the last ever goal scored in an FA Cup semi-final replay as, from the following season, the FA Cup semi-finals are decided in a single game, with extra time and a penalty shootout if required.^{[citation needed]}

1995-2000[link]

1994–95 saw Giggs restricted through injury to 29 Premier League games and only 1 goal. Later in the season he recovered his form and fitness, though it was too late to help United to any major trophies. A failure to beat West Ham United on the final day of the season saw them lose the Premier League title to Blackburn Rovers. A week later, Giggs came on as a substitute in the FA Cup final against Everton, but United lost 1–0.

On a more positive side in the 1994–95 season, Giggs did get on the scoresheet twice in the opening Champions League game against IFK Gothenburg (a 4–2 win, although United ultimately failed to progress to the quarter-finals) and also managed a goal in the FA Cup fourth around victory over Wrexham, meaning that he had managed four goals in all competitions that season.

In 1995–96 Giggs returned to full form and played a vital part in United's unique second double, with his goal against Everton at Goodison Park on 9 September 1995 being shortlisted for the "goal of the season" award, though it was eventually beaten by a goal by Manchester City's Georgi Kinkladze. In November that season, Giggs scored two goals in a Premier League match against Southampton, where United won 4–1 to keep up the pressure on a Newcastle United side who actually went 10 points clear on 23 December but were finally overhauled by United in mid March. Giggs was also in the side for United's FA Cup final win over Liverpool on 11 May 1996, though Eric Cantona scored the only goal of the game. By now, Giggs had several new key colleagues in youngsters Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, David Beckham and Paul Scholes. Beckham took over from Andrei Kanchelskis on the right wing and Butt succeeded Paul Ince in central midfield to complete a new look United midfield along with Giggs and Roy Keane.^{[citation needed]}

The following season, Giggs had his first real chance to shine in Europe. Having played a key role in United winning their third league title in four seasons, he helped them reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, the first United side in 28 years to achieve this. However, their hopes of European glory were ended by Borussia Dortmund, who edged them out by winning each leg of the semi-final 1–0. At the end of this season, Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero told Italian media that Giggs was one of his two favourite players, and gave the following memorable quote:"This is embarrassing to say but I have cried twice in my life watching a football player; the first one was Roberto Baggio and the second was Ryan Giggs."^[26]

In 1997–98, United were pipped to the Premier League title by Arsenal, following a dismal run of form in March and early April, leaving them without a trophy for only the second time since 1989. The following season, Giggs missed a lot of games through injury, but when he was fit his form was excellent and he played in both of United's cup finals that season. Memorable moments were his extra-time goal in the FA Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Arsenal giving United a 2–1 win, and his 90th minute equaliser in the home leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Juventus.

The highpoint in the 1998–99 season was when Giggs set up the equalising goal scored by Teddy Sheringham in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final that set United on their way to the Treble.

Giggs was also the Man of the Match as United beat Palmeiras 1–0 to claim the Intercontinental Cup later that year.^[27]

2000–2005[link]

Ryan Giggs, 2006

Giggs became United's longest serving player when Denis Irwin left in May 2002, and he became a pivotal part of the club, despite still being in his twenties. Giggs continued to excel in the four years that followed the Treble triumph of 1999. United were Premier League champions in three of the four seasons following the treble, as well as reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals three times and the semi-finals once. He celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Old Trafford with a testimonial match against Celtic at the start of the 2001–02 campaign. However, this was one of the most disappointing seasons United had endured since Giggs made his debut for them, as a dismal run of form in early winter ultimately cost them the league title and they were surprisingly knocked out of the Champions League on away goals in the semi finals by German underdogs Bayer Leverkusen. A year later, in the autumn of 2002, he bagged his 100th career goal in a draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.^{[citation needed]}

He played in his fourth FA Cup triumph on 22 May 2004, making him one of only two players (the other being Roy Keane) to have won the trophy four times while playing for Manchester United. He has also finished with a runners-up medal three times (1995, 2005 and 2007). His participation in the victory over Liverpool in September 2004 made him the third player to play 600 games for United, alongside Sir Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.

2005-present[link]

Giggs signed a two-year contract extension with United when chief executive David Gill relented on his normal policy of not signing players over 30 to contracts longer than one year. Giggs benefited from being largely injury-free aside from a series of hamstring problems.

On 6 May 2007, with Chelsea only able to manage a 1–1 draw with London rivals Arsenal, Manchester United became the champions of England. In doing so, Giggs set a new record of nine league titles, beating the previous record of eight he shared with Alan Hansen and Phil Neal (who won all of their titles with Liverpool). Giggs played a starring role in United's 2007 Charity Shield victory after netting in the first half to bring the game to a 1–1 draw, which led to penalty triumph for the Red Devils after keeper Edwin van der Sar saved all of Chelsea's first three penalties.

In the 2007–08 season, Alex Ferguson adopted a rotation system between Giggs and newcomers Nani and Anderson.

Giggs after the match against Manchester City in February 2008

Giggs scored his 100th league goal for United against Derby County on 8 December 2007, which United won 4–1.^[28] More landmarks have been achieved: on 20 February 2008 he made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League in a game against Lyon^[29] and on 11 May 2008 he came on as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 appearances for United.^[30] Giggs scored the second goal in that match, sealing his, and United's, tenth Premier League title. Ten days later, on 21 May 2008, Giggs broke Bobby Charlton's appearance record for United when coming on as an 87th minute substitute for Paul Scholes in the Champions League Final against Chelsea. United won the final, defeating Chelsea 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw after extra time, with Giggs converting the winning penalty in sudden-death.

At the start of Manchester United's 2008–09 campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson began placing Giggs at central midfield, behind the forwards, instead of his favoured wing position. Sir Alex Ferguson said in an interview, "(Giggs) is a very valuable player, he will be 35 this November but at 35, he can be United's key player. At 25, Ryan would shatter defenders with his run down the flank, but at 35, he will play deeper."^[31] Giggs has begun taking his coaching badges and Ferguson has hinted that he would like Giggs to serve as his coaching staff after retirement like Ole Gunnar Solskjær did.^[32]

Following speculation earlier in the year,^[33] in February 2009, Giggs signed a one-year extension to his current contract – which was due to expire in June 2009.^[34] After a successful season, Giggs was short-listed along with four other Manchester United team mates for the PFA Player of the Year.^[35] On 26 April 2009, Giggs received the award, despite having started just twelve games throughout the 08/09 season (at the time of receiving the trophy). This was the first time in his career that Giggs had received the award.^[36] Prior to the awards ceremony, Alex Ferguson had given his backing for Giggs to win the award and stated that it would be fitting, given Giggs' long term contribution to the game.^[37] Giggs made his 800th appearance for Manchester United on 29 April 2009, in the 1–0 semi-final win over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League.^[38] On 16 May 2009, Manchester United won the Premier League after a 0–0 draw against Arsenal, both United's and Giggs' 11th Premier League titles.

Giggs scored his first Manchester United hat-trick in a pre-season friendly against Hangzhou Greentown after coming on as a second-half substitute.^[39]

Giggs in a match against MLS All-Stars on 29 July 2010

On 12 September 2009, Giggs made his 700th start for United.^[40] Giggs scored his 150th goal for United, only the ninth player to do so for the club, against Wolfsburg in his first Champions League game of the season. On 28 November 2009, the eve of his 36th birthday, Giggs scored his 100th Premier League goal – all for Manchester United – scoring the final goal in a 4–1 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park, and becoming only the 17th player to reach the milestone in the Premier League.^[41]

On 30 November 2009, the day after his 36th birthday, it was reported that Giggs would be offered an additional one-year contract which would run until the end of the 2010–11 season and see him past the 20th anniversary of his first game and first goal for United.^[42] On the same day, Giggs was nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009, which he subsequently won.^[43] On 12 December 2009, Giggs' surpassed countryman Gary Speed's outfield record of 535 Premier League games. On 18 December 2009, Giggs signed a one-year contract extension with United, keeping him at the club until June 2011, taking him past the 20th anniversary of his first professional contract and that of his first team debut – a rare occurrence of a player reaching the 20-year mark with the same club and with unbroken service.^[44] On 31 December 2009, Giggs was named the Manchester United Player of the Decade.^[45] On 24 April 2010, Giggs scored the first ever league penalties of his career, netting two penalties in a 3–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur.^[46][47]

On 16 August 2010, Giggs kept up his record of scoring in every Premier League season since its inception as he netted United's third in their 3–0 home victory over Newcastle United in their opening fixture of the new campaign. As he found the net in the final two seasons of the old Football League First Division, he has now scored in 21 successive top division campaigns.^[48] On 17 January 2011, Giggs reached 600 league appearances (all for Manchester United), as he played in their goalless draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.^[49] Giggs signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester United on 18 February, keeping him at the club until June 2012.^[50] On 6 March 2011, Giggs surpassed the Manchester United league appearance record of Bobby Charlton by playing his 607th game against Liverpool. On 26 April, against Schalke 04 in the Champions League Semi-Final First Leg, Giggs scored the first goal from a Wayne Rooney pass, also making himself the oldest goalscorer in Champions League history to date.^[51] Giggs also played in the 2011 Champions League final, where Manchester United were defeated 3–1 by Barcelona.^[52]

Giggs made his first start of the 2011–12 season in the UEFA Champions League away at Benfica. He scored United's equalising goal in a 1–1 draw at the Estádio da Luz, in the process breaking his own record for the oldest goalscorer in Champions League history. He also became the first man ever to score in 16 different Champions League campaigns, moving clear of Raúl who was tied with Giggs on 15 seasons.Raúl though holds the record for scoring in 14 consecutive Champions league seasons. On 19 November, Giggs played in a league game in his home country of Wales for the first time in his distinguished career against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium in a United 1–0 win. Giggs maintained his record of scoring in each of the past 22 top-flight seasons by scoring United's third goal against Fulham at Craven Cottage in a 5-0 win on 21 December, his first of the season in the league. On 10 February 2012, Giggs signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester United.^[53]

On 26 February 2012, Giggs made his 900th appearance for Manchester United, in a 2-1 away win against Norwich City. He marked the occasion by scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute, scoring from a cross by Ashley Young.^[54] After the match, Alex Ferguson told BBC Sport he believed that a player playing in 900 games for one club "won't be done again".^[55] Ryan Giggs has since played with 140 different players in the first team.^[56]

International career[link]

Giggs captaining Wales in the friendly against Brazil in September 2006

Born in Cardiff to Welsh parents, Giggs represented Wales at international level. As a youngster, Giggs captained England Schoolboys. Contrary to popular belief, he was never eligible for the full England team (eligibility at the schoolboy level depends solely upon the location of the school, in Giggs' case Moorside High School in Salford).^[57] He has stated that he would have chosen to play for Wales anyway.

When Giggs made his international debut in 1991, he broke the record as the youngest debutant for Wales and held it for some seven years when it was broken by Ryan Green in June 1998.^[58] He went on to win 64 caps, and scored twelve goals for the Welsh national team between 1991 and 2007. He was appointed captain of Wales in 2004.

His first senior goal for Wales came on 31 March 1993 in a 3–0 win over Belgium in Cardiff in a World Cup qualifying game, the same game in which Ian Rush scored for Wales for a record 24th time.^[59]

After his international debut in 1991 against Germany, Giggs did not attend a friendly international until some nine years later, after which he missed a further 18 consecutive friendly games. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a policy of refusing to release the player for friendly games.^[60]

In a qualifier against England for the 2006 FIFA World Cup at Old Trafford where Wales lost 2-0, Giggs played against some present and former Manchester United teammates including David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Wayne Rooney.^[61][62][63] During a 2006 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on 12 October 2005, Giggs scored a rare double in a 2–0 win but Wales failed to reach the play-offs.^[64]

In September 2006, he played in a friendly against Brazil at White Hart Lane where Wales lost 2-0. Brazil coach Dunga complimented Gigg's performance by stating he would not look out of place playing for the five-time world champions alongside stars such as Kaká and Ronaldinho.^[65]

Giggs announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday, 30 May 2007, at a press conference held at The Vale of Glamorgan Hotel, drawing the curtain on a 16-year international career.^[32] He cited concentrating on his United career as the main reason for stepping down. His final game for Wales, and as captain, was the Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic on 2 June at Cardiff. He earned his 64th cap in this game and won the Man of the Match award as Wales drew 0–0.^[66] In November, he was one of three players in the final nomination by the FAW for the Wales Player of the Year award, which was ultimately won by Craig Bellamy.^[67]

In an interview with the Western Mail on 26 March 2010, Giggs hinted that he might be tempted to come out of international retirement for his country's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, in order to cover for the injured Aaron Ramsey.^[68] He later clarified his position to BBC Radio Manchester, saying that he would only return to Wales duty in an emergency.^[69]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	31 March 1993	Cardiff, Wales	Belgium	2–0	Win	1994 FIFA World Cup Qual.
2	8 September 1993	Cardiff, Wales	Czech Republic	2–2	Draw	1994 FIFA World Cup Qual.
3	7 September 1994	Cardiff, Wales	Albania	2–0	Win	UEFA Euro 1996 Qual.
4	2 June 1996	Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	5–0	Win	1998 FIFA World Cup Qual.
5	11 November 1997	Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	2–3	Loss	1998 FIFA World Cup Qual.
6	4 September 1999	Minsk, Belarus	Belarus	2–1	Win	UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
7	29 March 2000	Cardiff, Wales	Finland	1–2	Loss	Friendly
8	29 March 2003	Cardiff, Wales	Azerbaijan	4–0	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
9	8 October 2005	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	3–2	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.
10	12 October 2005	Cardiff, Wales	Azerbaijan	2–0	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.
11
12	21 May 2006	Bilbao, Spain	Basque Country	1–0	Win	Non-FIFA representative friendly
13	28 March 2007	Cardiff, Wales	San Marino	3–0	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.

Discipline[link]

Giggs has never been sent off when playing for Manchester United and only once when playing for Wales, on 5 September 2001 in a World Cup qualifier against Norway;^[70] Giggs received a second yellow card in the 86th minute.^[71] In November 2003, he was found guilty of improper conduct by the FA due to his behaviour during the Battle of Old Trafford game against Arsenal (one of two United and six Arsenal players charged over the incident);^[72] Giggs received a £7,500 fine but avoided suspension.^[73] In the same week, Giggs received a two-match suspension from international football for deliberately elbowing Russian player Vadim Evseev in the face during the first leg of the Euro 2004 play-offs.^[74] The offence was missed by referee Lucílio Batista, but Giggs was later charged using video evidence.^[74]

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 22:26, 13 May 2012.^[75]

International[link]

^[66][76]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Manchester United

• Premier League (12): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
• FA Cup (4): 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• Football League Cup (4): 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• FA Community Shield (8): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010
• UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual[link]

• PFA Young Player of the Year (2): 1991–92, 1992–93
• PFA Team of the Year (6): 1992–93, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2008–09
• PFA Team of the Century (1): 1997–2007^[77]
• PFA Players' Player of the Year (1): 2008–09
• FWA Tribute Award: 2007
• Bravo Award (1): 1993
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2009
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year (2): 1996, 2009
• GQ Sportsman of the Year (1): 2010^[78]
• Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (1): 1997–98
• Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year (2): 1990–91, 1991–92
• Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02): Overall Team of the Decade
• Premier League 20 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2011–12): Most Player Appearances (596)
• UEFA Champions League 10 Seasons Dream Team (1992 to 2002): 2002
• Wales Player of the Year Award (2): 1996, 2006
• Premier League Player of the Month (3): September 1993, August 2006, February 2007
• Goal of the Season (1): 1998–99
• English Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 2005
• Golden Foot: 2011

Orders and special awards[link]

• OBE for services to football: 2007^[3]
• Honorary Master of Arts degree from Salford University for contributions to football and charity work in developing countries: 2008^[79]
• Freedom of the City of Salford: 7 January 2010.^[80] He is the 22nd person to receive the Freedom of the City of Salford.^[80]

Records[link]

Ryan Giggs with the Premier League trophy

• Has won a record 12 top division English league titles as a player, and only Manchester United player to have winner's medals from all 12 Premier League title wins.
• Most Premier League appearances for a player, with 588.^[81]
• Most Premier League assists (accurate records are only available from 2002 onwards).^[82]
• Only player to have played and scored in every Premier League campaign.
• Only player to have scored in sixteen different Champions League tournaments. (Includes eleven consecutive tournaments, 1996–97 to 2006–07; only Raúl has a better record with 14.)
• Most goals by a British player in the Champions League/European Cup proper history, and 14th overall (not including preliminary rounds).^[83]
• Most appearances by a Manchester United player.
• Most starts by a Manchester United player, started in 757 games.
• First player to score 100 Premier League goals for Manchester United.
• Second midfielder to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League for a single club (first being Matt Le Tissier).
• One of four Manchester United players to win two Champions League Medals (others are Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Wes Brown).
• Oldest (37 years, 289 days) player to score in the Champions League, when he scored against Benfica on 14 September 2011.^[51]
• One of two Manchester United Players to win at least 10 Top division medals (the other one is Paul Scholes.)

Endorsements and public image[link]

Giggs has been featured in adverts for Reebok, Sovil Titus, Citizen Watches, Givenchy, Fuji, Patek Phillipe, Quorn Burgers, ITV Digital and Celcom.^{[citation needed]}

According to an article by BBC Sport: "In the early 1990s, Giggs was David Beckham before Beckham was even holding down a place in the United first team. If you put his face on the cover of a football magazine, it guaranteed you the biggest sales of the year. Why? Men would buy it to read about 'the new Best' and girls bought it because they wanted his face all over their bedroom walls. Giggs had the million-pound boot deal (Reebok), the lucrative sponsorship deals in the Far East (Fuji) and the celebrity girlfriends (Dani Behr, Davinia Taylor) at a time when Beckham was being sent on loan to Preston North End."^[84]

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Giggs married his longtime partner, Stacey Cooke, in a private ceremony on 7 September 2007.^[85] They have two children, both born in Salford: Liberty Beau (known as Libby, born 2003) and Zachary Joseph (known as Zach, born 2006),^[86][87] and live in Worsley, Salford, Greater Manchester.^[88]

Activism[link]

In August 2006 Giggs became an Ambassador for UNICEF UK, in recognition for his work with Manchester United's 'United for UNICEF' partnership with the children's organisation.^[89] Giggs visited UNICEF projects in Thailand and told the BBC: "As a footballer I can't imagine life without the use of one of my legs... Sadly this is exactly what happens to thousands of children every year when they accidentally step on a landmine."^[90]

Post-playing career[link]

In October 2010, Giggs said he would "probably finish [his] career here [Old Trafford]", and that he could not see himself "dropping down leagues and playing at a lesser level." He said he wanted to go into coaching, calling managing Manchester United or Wales "the two ultimate jobs", and that he was halfway through his UEFA 'A' coaching licence.^[91]

Gagging order[link]

In May 2011, it was reported in non-UK media sources that Giggs was the identity of CTB in CTB v News Group Newspapers,^[92] a footballer who had obtained an anonymised gagging order in relation to an alleged extra-marital affair with model Imogen Thomas. Giggs took legal action against the social networking site Twitter after he was named by a user in a list of identities of individuals who had allegedly taken out so-called "super-injunctions".^[93] A blogger for Forbes magazine remarked that Giggs had "not heard of the Streisand effect", observing that mentions of his name had increased significantly after the case against Twitter had been reported.^[94]

On 22 May 2011, the Sunday Herald, a Scottish newspaper, published a thinly disguised photograph of Giggs on its front page, with the word "CENSORED" covering his eyes.^[95][96] Sunday Herald editor Richard Walker stated that the London High Court ruling had no force in Scotland, unless copies of the paper were sold in England or Wales.^[97]

On 23 May 2011, the gagging order set off a political controversy, with Prime Minister David Cameron commenting that the law should be reviewed to "catch up with how people consume media today".^[98] On the same day, Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming used parliamentary privilege to name Giggs as CTB.^[99]

Notes[link]

1. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup

References[link]