Cesc Fàbregas was the 2008 award winner.

The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football.^[1] The award has been presented since the 1973–74 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). The first winner of the award was Ipswich Town defender Kevin Beattie. The current holder is Kyle Walker, who won the award while playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Although the award is open to players at all levels,^[1] all winners to date have played in the highest division of the English football league system. As of 2012, only Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney have won the award on more than one occasion. Only five players from outside the United Kingdom have won the trophy,^[2] compared with nine winners of the main PFA Players' Player of the Year award. Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 23 or under at the start of the season remain eligible to win the Players' Player of the Year award, and on two occasions the same player has won both awards for a season.

A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of the PFA's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in London a few days later.^[3] The players themselves consider the award to be highly prestigious, because the winner is chosen by his fellow professionals.^[4]

Winners[link]

The award has been presented on 39 occasions as of 2012, with 36 different winners.^[5][6][7] The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in English football, namely the PFA Players' Player of the Year award (PPY),^[6][7][8] the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (FWA),^[9] and the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY).^[10]

Ryan Giggs was the first player to win the award twice.

Robbie Fowler was the second two-time winner.

Wayne Rooney was the third player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.

Year		Player	Club	Also won	Notes
1973–74	ENG !	Beattie, KevinKevin Beattie	Ipswich Town
1974–75	ENG !	Day, MervynMervyn Day	West Ham United		[11]
1975–76	ENG !	Barnes, PeterPeter Barnes	Manchester City
1976–77	SCO !	Gray, AndyAndy Gray	Aston Villa	PPY	[12]
1977–78	ENG !	Woodcock, TonyTony Woodcock	Nottingham Forest
1978–79	ENG !	Regis, CyrilleCyrille Regis	West Bromwich Albion		[13]
1979–80	ENG !	Hoddle, GlennGlenn Hoddle	Tottenham Hotspur
1980–81	ENG !	Shaw, GaryGary Shaw	Aston Villa
1981–82	ENG !	Moran, SteveSteve Moran	Southampton
1982–83	WAL !	Ian Rush	Liverpool
1983–84	ENG !	Walsh, PaulPaul Walsh	Luton Town
1984–85	WAL !	Hughes, MarkMark Hughes	Manchester United
1985–86	ENG !	Cottee, TonyTony Cottee	West Ham United
1986–87	ENG !	Adams, TonyTony Adams	Arsenal
1987–88	ENG !	Gascoigne, PaulPaul Gascoigne	Newcastle United
1988–89	ENG !	Merson, PaulPaul Merson	Arsenal
1989–90	ENG !	Le Tissier, MatthewMatthew Le Tissier	Southampton
1990–91	ENG !	Sharpe, LeeLee Sharpe	Manchester United
1991–92	WAL !	Giggs, RyanRyan Giggs	Manchester United
1992–93	WAL !	Giggs, RyanRyan Giggs	Manchester United		[14]
1993–94	ENG !	Cole, AndyAndy Cole	Newcastle United
1994–95	ENG !	Fowler, RobbieRobbie Fowler	Liverpool
1995–96	ENG !	Fowler, RobbieRobbie Fowler	Liverpool
1996–97	ENG !	Beckham, DavidDavid Beckham	Manchester United
1997–98	ENG !	Owen, MichaelMichael Owen	Liverpool
1998–99	FRA !	Anelka, NicolasNicolas Anelka	Arsenal		[15]
1999–2000	AUS !	Kewell, HarryHarry Kewell	Leeds United		[16]
2000–01	ENG !	Gerrard, StevenSteven Gerrard	Liverpool	FPY	[17]
2001–02	WAL !	Bellamy, CraigCraig Bellamy	Newcastle United		[18]
2002–03	ENG !	Jenas, JermaineJermaine Jenas	Newcastle United		[19]
2003–04	ENG !	Parker, ScottScott Parker	Charlton Athletic Chelsea		[20]
2004–05	ENG !	Rooney, WayneWayne Rooney	Manchester United		[4]
2005–06	ENG !	Rooney, WayneWayne Rooney	Manchester United	FPY	[6]
2006–07	POR !	Ronaldo, CristianoCristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United	PPY, FWA, FPY	[21]
2007–08	ESP !	Fàbregas, CescCesc Fàbregas	Arsenal		[22]
2008–09	ENG !	Young, AshleyAshley Young	Aston Villa		[23]
2009–10	ENG !	Milner, JamesJames Milner	Aston Villa		[24]
2010–11	ENG !	Wilshere, JackJack Wilshere	Arsenal		[25]
2011–12	ENG !	Walker, KyleKyle Walker	Tottenham Hotspur		[26]

Breakdown of winners[link]

By country[link]

Country	Number of wins	Winning years
England	29	1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1995, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Wales	5	1982–83, 1984–85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02
Scotland	1	1976–77
France	1	1998–99
Australia	1	1999–2000
Portugal	1	2006–07
Spain	1	2007–08

By club[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The official website of the Professional Footballers' Association

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. The awards with the "player of the year" phrasing include these.

In association football, this award is held on both an international and national level.

• FIFA awards a worldwide men's and women's FIFA World Player of the Year, football's highest individual honour.
• English football leagues honour the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Scotland has similar awards, the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year and the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Many organizations award "footballer of the year" awards. Among them are the European Footballer of the Year, African Footballer of the Year, and in English football the Football Writers' Association's FWA Footballer of the Year.

In American basketball, several such awards are given:

• The Oscar Robertson Trophy is awarded to the college basketball player of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
• The Naismith College Player of the Year award is given to the best men's college player and the best women's college player.
• The John R. Wooden Award award is given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the best men's college player and the best women's college player.

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association gives the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award to the Division I men's basketball player who exemplifies the best character.

• The National Basketball Association awards an NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• The Women's National Basketball Association awards a WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In baseball, publications sometimes issue awards with this name:

• The Sporting News awards a Major League Baseball player the TSN Player of the Year Award. This almost always goes to a position player, since this magazine also has separate awards for the best pitcher in each Major League.
• Similarly, Baseball America and USA Today designates their respective Minor League Player of the Year Award.

In lacrosse, two awards are given with this name, the Major League Lacrosse Offensive player of the Year Award and the Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award.

In cricket, awards for the leading international player are the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

In ice hockey, in the United Kingdom the Player of the Year Trophy is awarded by Ice Hockey Journalists UK.

See also[link]

• Athlete of the Year

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]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2011)

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]