Photo by edwin.11 / credit below
Ryan Giggs simultaneously frustrates and inspires me.
Watching Manchester United’s captain continue to play at an elite level from his left wing position elicits mixed emotions.
On one hand, I marvel at Giggs’ ability to not only keep up with, but often outperform, the 20-somethings he takes the field with and against each week. At 35, Giggs is still able to control a game like few others. If he has a weakness on a football pitch, I’m not aware of it.
Want precision passing? Giggs is one of the best at setting up his teammates with perfectly weighted balls in the right spot at the right time.
Want clutch goals from set pieces? Only a handful of players, David Beckham being an obvious choice, can bend a ball like Giggs. Witness his sublime strike during Man Utd.’s 3-1 win over my beloved Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season. Even though at the time I sensed that goal was going to propel the Red Devils to a relatively easy win against my Spurs, I couldn’t help but marvel at the skill with which the shot was taken. It was simply brilliant.
Want a no-nonsense captain who demands as much out of himself as he does the other 10 players in his side? Giggs is a pro’s pro who knows when to scold a teammate and when to pat him on the back. His knowledge of the beautiful game and how it should be played is on par with some of the all-time greats and he’s showing no signs of fatigue even though he’s been playing professionally since 1985, when he broke in with Manchester City’s youth team.
Want loyalty to a club? Giggs’ entire senior club career has played out in a Man Utd. shirt, beginning in the 1990-91 season. While his team is one of the most hated in all of football, it’s also one of the most respected and no player garners more respect than Giggs. I’ve heard people disparage Sir Alex Ferguson and Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand and even Wayne Rooney, but I can’t remember anyone finding fault with the way Giggs plays.
Those are some of the reasons Giggs inspires me. So, how does he frustrate me?
It’s pretty simple actually. I’m a month or so younger than Giggs and while he plays football for one of the world’s best teams and can seemingly run for days while barely breaking a sweat, I can barely run the length of a basketball court a couple times without feeling like I’m going into cardiac arrest.
For me to completely support Giggs, at some point I’ll need him to prove that age is catching up with him. So far, he’s kicking Father Time’s ass.
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwin11/ / CC BY 2.0
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