Rio: Follow Giggs Lead

Rio Ferdinand has urged every United player to follow the example set by Ryan Giggs by aiming for sustained success.

Giggs’ career is built on dedication to achieving repeated glory and Ferdinand says he feels inspired to pursue the same path as United’s all-time appearances record holder.

“This is a great feeling to be victorious, but this is a bunch of players that are going to do it again,” Ferdinand told MUTV. “We’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’ll enjoy this moment. But we’ll be thinking about next season in the not-too-distant future because we want to be successful and the players are hungry for more success.

“Players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville who have won trophy after trophy still have the ambition to come in every day and try and win more. We’ve got to follow that example.”

Giggs notched a staggering 759th appearance for the Reds and slotted away United’s sixth goal in the 6-5 penalty shoot-out win in Moscow. For Rio, it was a truly proud moment lifting the trophy alongside one of United’s greats.

“Lifting the cup with Giggsy was a great moment for me,” Rio added. “He’s a living legend, someone who probably isn’t appreciated as much as he should be. Sometimes you felt it was [written in the script]. But you always think in the back of your mind that it is going to be shattered. Losing on penalties is a bad way to lose, but it’s a fantastic feeling to win.”