Congratulations, Giggsy!

Ryan Giggs moved alongside Bill Foulkes on the all-time appearance list of Manchester United and now he's got Bobby Charlton's record in his sight.

The Welsh Wizard is simply amazing. He's been running down wing the wing for about 16 years now and he still shows no sign of decline. Yesterday's derby was a quiet game for him, quiet but historic as he's now second on the club's all-time appearance list with 688 games and Bobby Charlton's record of 759 is certainly within his reach now.

His game changed a lot, of course. His once devastating speed is fading now but a more patient approach, a better understanding of the game helps him to be one of United's best players even at the age of 33.

"I don't think anyone else is capable of doing that for so long in the Premier League. I have seen a lot of wide players come and go during that time but he is still there." said Sir Alex Ferguson.


I don't know if he ever considered leaving Old Trafford as offers were aplenty for him during his career but I'm sure he made the right decision to stay. Manchester United were the best club for him to exploit his fantastic abilities and Sir Alex was patient with him even when he was not playing well.

A lot of clubs (all continental clubs, I suppose) would have got rid of him around 2003 when he was clearly not in the form of his life. Some supporters, if I can call them that, even booed him at Old Trafford which was outrageous and disgraceful after all the service he had given to the club.

He was criticised for his inconsistent performances throughout his career and sometimes rightly so. But that should not stop us calling him one of the greatest ever footballers to grace Britain. He could go on to light up the stage for two more years and that would almost certainly mean he will surpass Bobby Charlton's record of 759 games for United. That just about sums up what a player he was and still is.

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