Football will be poorer without Ryan Giggs when he eventually decides to hang up his boots

By David McDonnell

Published 10:03 28/09/09

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With two elegant swishes of his famed left foot, Ryan Giggs provided further proof of his enduring value to Manchester United in his match-winning cameo against Stoke.

On the back of his colossal display in the 4-3 derby win over Manchester City the previous weekend, Giggs showed why he remains arguably the most important player at Sir Alex Ferguson's disposal.

Giggs turns 36 in two months, an age when most Premier League players have either dropped down a level or two to ply their trade in an easier, less demanding division, or retired from football completely.

But as he showed at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, Giggs remains in a class of his own, and when he does eventually decide to retire, his loss will be more keenly felt by United than that of Cristiano Ronaldo or any other player during Fergie's illustrious reign.

United's most decorated player, Giggs has won 11 Premier League titles, two European Cups, four FA Cups and three League Cups, as well as the PFA Player of the Year award last season. Yet as he showed at Stoke, those honours have not quenched his thirst for success.

Three assists in the derby against City - four if you include his quick-thinking throw-in which allowed Patrice Evra to feed Wayne Rooney for United's opening goal - and two against Stoke show why Giggs remains such a key player for them.

So many eulogies have been written about Giggs, particularly in recent seasons with his successful conversion from a winger to a central midfielder, that all the available superlatives to describe his remarkable career seem to have been exhausted.

But the longevity and sustained brilliance of Giggs says as much for the failings of those players entrusted with the task of succeeding him as it does for his unique and peerless ability.

When the ineffective Nani was hauled off just 10 minutes into the second-half at Stoke and replaced by Giggs, the transformation in United's play was nothing short of an embarrassment for the Portuguese winger.

Bought from Sporting Lisbon two years ago for £17million as an eventual replacement for Giggs, Nani has failed to justify that exorbitant fee, and remains a player on whom United simply cannot rely. Unlike Giggs, whose reliability is almost taken for granted.

With two simple yet stunning assists, Giggs showed Nani that less is more, that the most effective contributions on a football pitch do not necessarily have to be the most complicated.

United defender Patrice Evra this week gave a fascinating insight into what keeps Giggs at the top, endorsing the clamour to see his team-mate knighted for his incredible achievements and a life spent dedicated to football.

"For me Ryan is a legend," said Evra. "Sir Ryan Giggs, I should say. I've never seen a player like him. Even when he loses a small game in training he's really angry because he always wants to win. He looks like he's won nothing, like he's never won a trophy. That's the secret of Ryan."

No supporter of any team, despite traditional rivalries, long-standing hostilities and the widespread antipathy that exists towards United, can fail to acknowledge what Giggs has achieved which is why, when he eventually does retire, football will be poorer without him.