Ryan Giggs: Skinny Teenager To Manchester United Legend

Ryan Giggs, who signed a one-year contract with Manchester United on Friday, will reach the landmark figure of 1,000 career games the next time he plays for the club.

As well as 931 senior appearances for United, he has won 64 full international caps for Wales, and a further four captaining Great Britain in last summer's London Olympics.

Game 1,000 will come if he features against Norwich (in which he did not) on Saturday - 22 years to the day since he made his United debut.

BBC Sport takes a look at the key statistics and memorable moments involving Giggs, 39, since making his first senior appearance for United as a skinny teenager in a baggy shirt.

Ryan Giggs in numbers

17 - Giggs was offered his first professional contract with Manchester United on his 17th birthday on 29 November 1990.

612 - Giggs has made 612 appearances in the Premier League, with 512 of those starts. He made his debut against Everton on 2 March 1991, climbing off the bench to replace full-back Denis Irwin in a 2-0 defeat.

37 - When Giggs smashed the ball into the top corner of the Benfica goal on 14 September 2011, he became the oldest scorer in the Champions League at 37 years, 289 days.

109 - Since scoring his first Premier League goal against Tottenham in a 1-1 draw on 19 September 1992, Giggs has gone on to hit the back of the net a further 108 times in the league. He has two so far this season.

19 - Giggs's 109 goals means he is ranked 19th in the Premier League's all-time scorers list, sandwiched between Emile Heskey and Dion Dublin (both on 111) and Paul Scholes (107)

21 - He is the only player to have played and scored in every Premier League season. So long is his career that he even scored in the final two seasons of the old First Division that preceded the creation of the Premier League.

33 - In Giggs's time at Manchester United, he has won 33 trophies (12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions Leagues, one European Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, one Fifa Club World Cup and eight Charity/Community Shields), making him the most decorated player in English football history.

3 - Giggs has won three BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards - clinching the main award in 2009, while also winning the BBC Wales award in 1996 and 2009.

0 - He has never received a red card during his club career, although he was once sent off for Wales, against Norway in September 2001.

What they said about Ryan Giggs

"I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and he floated across the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind" - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson

"Ryan Giggs for me is one of the best players in the world. Now maybe he is old but he is a fantastic player" - Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini

"Maybe one day people will say I was another Ryan Giggs" - Manchester United legend George Best

"Eric Cantona is a great player, but he's not as good as Ryan Giggs" - Dutch legend and three-time world player of the year Johan Cruyff

"Only two players made me cry when watching football, one was Diego Maradona and the other Ryan Giggs" - Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero

"I can't remember exactly how old I was but I remember pretending to be Ryan in the back garden" - Manchester United's 23-year-old midfielder Tom Cleverley

Ryan Giggs's memorable moments

Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United - 19 September 1992


A sight that was to be repeated many times over the next two decades as an 18-year-old Giggs produced a classy finish against Tottenham. A defensive error allowed him to seize possession 30 yards out, before he got the better of a Spurs defender, rounded goalkeeper Ian Walker and fired home from an acute angle.

Queens Park Rangers 2-3 Manchester United - 5 February 1994

A stunning strike by Giggs as he whipped the ball away from Ray Wilkins and raced towards goal before smashing a left-foot shot past Czech goalkeeper Jan Stejskal.

Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United - 14 April 1999

A truly memorable goal as Giggs took a leaf out of Diego Maradona's book by taking on the entire Arsenal defence. His skill and courage were rewarded as he beat four Arsenal defenders and smashed the ball past a helpless David Seaman to send United to Wembley.

Wigan 0-2 Manchester United - 11 May 2008

A win that secured United their 17th league title and fitting it was Giggs who clinched it, taking Wayne Rooney's clever pass in his stride to slide home a composed finish from 12 yards.

Manchester United 2-0 Everton - 10 February 2003

A memorable goal in that it marked one of the many milestones Giggs has achieved in his career - scoring for 23 successive top-flight seasons. Giggs scored from 12 yards via the post to set the Red Devils on the way to victory.

Giggs's Manchester United appearances

Premier League: 612 (inc 100 as substitute)
Division One (pre-1992): 40 (inc 7 as sub)
FA Cup: 73 (inc 11 as sub)
League Cup: 39 (inc 6 as sub)
European Cup/Champions League: 143 (inc 22 as sub)
European Cup Winners' Cup: 1
Uefa Cup: 5
Other matches (Charity/Community Shield, European Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup): 18 (inc 15 as sub)
*does not include friendlies

Credit: BBC Sport