Ryan Giggs Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 10½ in |
Weight | 72 kg |
Date of Birth | November 29, 1973 |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Ryan Giggs is a Welsh football coach and former player who is best known for his career as the manager of the Wales national team and as a wide midfielder for Manchester United. He is also the co-owner of Salford City. During the course of his career, Ryan has won several tournaments such as Premier League, FA Cup, FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and has been the recipient of honors like PFA‘s “Young Player of the Year”, PFA‘s “Players’ Player of the Year”, BBC Sports‘ “Personality of the Year”, Manchester United‘s “Players’ Player of the Year”, “Welsh Footballer of the Year”, GQ‘s “Sportsman of the Year”, and many more.
Born Name
Ryan Joseph Giggs
Nick Name
Giggsy, Welsh Wizard
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Canton, Cardiff, Wales
Nationality
Education
Ryan Giggs got his formal education from Moorside High School in Swinton near Manchester. At the age of 6, he started his football education at local Salford team Deans FC, where Manchester City scout Dennis Schofield was the coach. Schofield recommended Giggs to his club and they signed him for their School of Excellence.
At the same time, he continued to play for Deans and while playing for the Salford club, he was regularly watched by Harold Wood, who was Manchester United steward. He spoke personally to Alex Ferguson, who promptly dispatched a scout to watch him. After watching him, Manchester United offered him an opportunity to join them as an associate schoolboy. Subsequently, the 14-year-old joined them and continued his football education with United academy.
Occupation
Former Professional Soccer Player, Assistant Manager, Businessman, Hotelier, Television Pundit
Family
- Father – Danny Wilson (Former British professional Rugby League Player)
- Mother – Lynne Giggs (Housewife)
- Siblings – Rhodri Giggs (Former Professional Soccer Player)
Manager
During his playing career, he was represented by Dennis Roach.
However, in 2015, he switched to Footprint Sports & Entertainment.
Position
Left Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder
Shirt Number
11
He wore a #11 shirt while playing for Manchester United, and Wales national team.
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 10½ in or 179 cm
Weight
72 kg or 159 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Ryan Giggs dated –
- Lisa Jeynes – In an interview with Wales Online, she revealed that they had a steamy affair in the late 90s. They met when they were in their teens and finally hooked up in their early 20s. According to Lisa, she and Giggs were single at that time. The relationship lasted for around a year as long-distance proved to be an obstacle.
- Dani Behr (1994-1995) – Ryan Giggs started dating Dani Behr, a television presenter and model in 1994 at a private party. She was spotted watching Ryan Giggs in a number of matches and Manchester United even created Giggs’ chant using her name. Their relationship ended in 1995 and she claimed Alex Ferguson was the reason as he didn’t want his star player to travel to London too often.
- Patsy Kensit (1995) – Patsy Kensit met Giggs in July 1995 at a movie premiere. Patsy approached Giggs at the movie party and found a quiet corner after a short conversation. At the end of the party, they exchanged numbers and eventually met for a couple of dates before their affair fizzled out.
- Davinia Taylor (1995-1997) – Giggs met Hollyoaks star Davinia Taylor in September 1995. They dated for around two years and were seen together on a number of occasions. However, their relationship ended in a controversy in November 1997. After an altercation, Giggs punched his then 19-year-old girlfriend in the face and stomach in front of the packed nightclub after which she allegedly needed medical attention.
- Emma Gardner (1996-2001) – Giggs met Emma Gardner through her brother Dave Gardner, who was a former Manchester United trainee and football agent. Although they started dating in 1996, they were said to have known each other for longer. Reportedly Emma suffered miscarriage after Giggs had got her pregnant. They were set to marry but eventually, Giggs dumped her.
- Rachel Hunter (2001) – Ryan met Rachel Hunter in the same month at World Sports Awards in Monaco, he dumped Emma. He got beautiful supermodel’s number and bombarded her with calls to win her over. He was pictured on a string of dates with Rachel in London.
- Caroline Stanbury (2001-2002) – Giggs had a fling with PR girl Caroline Stanbury, while simultaneously dating his future wife Stacey Cooke. Eventually, Stacey got pregnant and he decided to dump Caroline.
- Stacey Cooke (2002-2016) – Ryan started dating his childhood friend Stacey Cooke in 2002, while still seeing Caroline. Stacey got pregnant and by the end of 2002, their daughter Liberty was born and Giggs was so overwhelmed with emotions of fatherhood that he proposed to Stacey there and then, in the delivery room. However, the planned wedding that was to be held in 2004 was canceled and she even kicked him out of the house in 2005 after rumors of his playing away surfaced. They reconciled and eventually got married in a low key wedding at the Lowry Hotel in 2007. But, the couple split after Ryan’s affair with different girls kept coming.
- Natasha Giggs (2003-2011) – Natasha met Ryan in a Manchester nightclub in 2003 and Ryan spared no time to get her in his bed. The sick thing about the affair was that Natasha had started dating Giggs’ younger brother couple of months earlier. While being in a stable relationship with Rhodri, Natasha continued to sleep with Ryan. She even got married to Rhodri in 2010, while being unfaithful to him. She only decided to come clean about her affair with Ryan when she learned he was also seeing Imogen Thomas.
- Imogen Thomas (2010-2011) – Ryan’s affair with Imogen began in September 2010 after a meeting at a London nightclub. On the same night, Ryan took her back to his hotel. He pursued her with a stream of flirty messages and according to Imogen, he even claimed that he was in love with her. The affair ended in early 2011.
- Gemma Atkinson (2017-2018) – In October 2017, his name was first linked with actress Gemma Atkinson. Both Gemma and Ryan never admitted their relationship. The relationship rumors went on until January 2018.
- Kate Greville (2017-2019) – From 2017 to 2019, Ryan Giggs was romantically linked with PR girl Kate Greville. She had started working for him in 2013. In August 2022, it came to public attention that he physically abused Kate when she tried to leave the relationship. He kicked her out of their 5-star hotel room naked in Dubai. He was further accused of being controlling.
- Helen Stelling Holt (2019-Present) – In November 2019, Ryan then started romancing DJ and model, Helen Stelling Holt who is 15 years his junior. In 2019, she was also working as a relationship manager at Menagerie Restaurant & Bar in Manchester which is a popular place with celebrities in North England.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial
His paternal grandfather was from Sierra Leone.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Receding hairline
- Speckle of Grey Hair
- Wiry and lanky frame
- Squinty stare
Brand Endorsements
Being one of the most iconic players of his time, Ryan used his popularity to pocket quite a few lucrative deals.
He had a long-time endorsement deal with Reebok which ended in 2014 when he decided to sign for Nike.
Some of the other brands which have signed Ryan Giggs for brand endorsements over the years include Quorn Burgers, ITV Digital, Sovil Titus, Fuji, Phillippe, Givenchy, Citizen Watch, Celcom, and UNICEF.
He has also worked with EA Sports’ FIFA game series and was selected in Ultimate Legends team in FIFA 16.
Best Known For
- Playing for Manchester United for 24 years.
- Being one of the best players in the English Premier League.
First Soccer Match
On March 2, 1991, Ryan Giggs made his Premier League debut for Manchester United against Everton FC in a home match at Old Trafford stadium. He came on as a substitute for injured Denis Irwin.
Ryan Giggs turned out for the first time for his national side Wales in October 1991 in a friendly match against Germany. He was sent in during 84th minute as a substitute for Eric Young.
Manchester United’s home match at Old Trafford against Norwich City on April 26, 2014 was Ryan Giggs’ first match as senior manager. United won the match by 4-0.
Strengths
- Speed
- Dribbling
- Crossing
- Ball Control
- Attacking Movement
- Finishing
- Vision
- Passing
- Stamina
Weaknesses
Ryan Giggs had no significant weaknesses.
First Film
Ryan’s first theatrical film appearance was in the documentary film The Class of 92 as himself.
First TV Show
Ryan Giggs first TV appearance was in the 1994 series Soccer School in which he appeared as himself.
Personal Trainer
During the last years of his playing career, Ryan Giggs relied on yoga sessions and Pilates to keep his fitness up. Apart from the usual football training drills, he used to do leg workouts on some days and yoga twice a week as well.
Another key component of his training regime was core workout.
Ryan Giggs Favorite Things
- Food –Â Chinese Chilli Lamb
- Songs – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (By Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell), Teardrops (By Womack & Womack)
- Band –Â The Stone Roses
Source – Standard, DailyMail UK
Ryan Giggs Facts
- He holds the distinction of being the first player in the history of Premier League to bag two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards.
- Despite being one of the finest players in Premier League, he didn’t win Premier League player of the season award till 2009.
- He holds the record for being the only player to have played in at least one match in each of the first twenty-two seasons of the Premier League.
- Ryan Giggs is the only player since the inception of the Premier League to have scored at least one goal in each of the first twenty-one seasons of the competition.
- In terms of days, Giggs has the longest Premier League career. He played in the league for astonishing 1,122 days, which is three years more than Paul Scholes, who is on the second spot.
- He has the most number of assists to his name in the Premier League. He has tallied 162 assists, while Frank Lampard is the second with 102 assists.
- In his entire career, he has been substituted in Premier League games 134 times, which again is a league record.
- At Old Trafford on November 18, 1995, he scored a goal within 15 seconds of the game whistle against Southampton, which is the fastest goal ever scored for Manchester United as of October 2016.
- He has won stunning 13 English Premier League titles in the course of his career, which as of October 2016 is the record for any English player.
- On the whole, he won 34 major trophies while turning out for the red side of Manchester.
- Across all competitions, he has played in 963 matches, which makes him the most capped player for Manchester United. He has played around 200 matches more than Bobby Charlton, who is second on the list.
- In 2007, he was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his immense contributions to the game.