Ryan Giggs has been a fixture on the team for years. He’s been a loyal servant and a great player, but now it’s time for him to retire.
Recently I was watching a Manchester United video called “1001 Goals”. My daughter bought it for me as a Christmas present and I hadn’t seen it yet so decided to see what it was all about. I popped in the DVD and my kids (they all play football / soccer) sat down with me to watch. We “ooohed and aaahhhed” at some of the amazing headers, volleys, strikes from distance, and short shots.
My kids laughed at how funny Beckham (”THAT is David Beckham? Where are his tatoos?”), Giggs, Solskjaer, and others were. I chuckled to realize that Sir Bobby Charlton was always bald it seems - the footage was black and white, scratchy looking, fuzzy, and there was his bald pate.
My oldest son made an observation as we were watching, “Solskjaer and Giggs used to be good!”
I started thinking about this, and he hit the nail right on the head. Giggs was a great player, but being a fairly recent fan to football (5 years or so), I never got to see him in his prime. Even in my time watching Manchester United, I’ve noticed his decline in productivity. This year especially, he was but a shell of his former self.
Solskjaer retired this year due to injuries. He could still be dangerous, but his body couldn’t keep up with the punishment of going full speed for 90 minutes. It was a good decision, although I’m sure it was hard for him to walk away from the game and the club. It is always said, and somewhat embarrassing, when a player stays in the game too long and I was glad to see him go out while he was still seen as productive.
This is the point we are getting to with Ryan Giggs. The game has passed him by. He cannot run with the likes of Ronaldo, Nani, and Anderson (although few can match that pace). Giggs was known for his pace though, and that is a thing of the past it seems. He needs to accept this and begin to consider his options. I believe his experience could be very beneficial as a coach or trainer for the club. I have no doubt that he knows how to play the game, or where someone playing left winger should be, the problem is that he rarely finds himself in the correct position these days.
Giggs has broken Sir Bobby’s record. All kudos to him for his great, LONG, career. It’s time now to bow out gracefully. Perhaps he can stay on with the team and make some bench appearances to pad his record, but it is this writer’s opinion that his days of being considered as a starter should be over.
Thank you for your service, you’ve been brilliant, please do the right thing.
