First-team Honours:
FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
Intercontinental Cup: 1999
UEFA Champions League: 1998/99, 2007/08
Premier League: 1992/93, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2006/07, 2007/08
FA Cup: 1993/94, 1995/96, 1998/99, 2003/04
League Cup: 1991/92, 2005/06, 2008/09
UEFA Super Cup: 1991
Community Shield: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008

Reserves & Youth Honours:
FA Youth Cup: 1991/92
Lancashire League Division One: 1990/91


Individual Honours:
PFA Players' Player of the Year 2009
Honorary Master of Arts (Salford) 2008
OBE (Order of the British Empire) 2007
PFA Team of the Century 2007
PFA Team of the Year 2009, 2007, 2001, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993
United Players' Player of the Year 2006
Wales Player of the Year 2006, 1996
English Football Hall of Fame inductee 2005
Premier League Team of the Decade 2003
Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player 1999
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 1998
European
Under-21 Footballer of the Year 1993
PFA Young Player of the Year 1992, 1993
Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year 1991, 1992

The only surprise about Ryan Giggs being named PFA Player's Player of the Year in April 2009 was that it had taken so long for him to win the prestigious award.

After all, he'd previously received countless other individual gongs - including the PFA Young Player award twice in his early career - not to mention more team honours than any other United player in the club's illustrious history.

Ryan is also the Reds' record appearance-maker; he surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's 758 on the night he helped the Reds secure a third European Cup triumph - his second - in Moscow on 21 May 2008.


United's most decorated player might never have graced Old Trafford, however, had it not been for Sir Alex Ferguson’s intervention. Cardiff-born Giggs was attending Manchester City's School of Excellence in his early teens, but Sir Alex made a personal visit to his house on his 14th birthday and Ryan jumped at the chance to sign for his boyhood favourites.

Ryan turned professional at United in November 1990 and made his league debut in the old Division One against Everton at Old Trafford on 2 March 1991 as a substitute for Denis Irwin. His first league start in 1991/92 also proved a memorable occasion, as he
also scored his first ever United goal that day (albeit via a huge deflection off Colin Hendry) in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Giggs' first senior trophy arrived in November 1991 as United beat Red Star Belgrade in the European Super Cup final - Ryan came on for Lee Martin. He picked up his second winners' medal five months later as the Reds beat Nottingham Forest in the League Cup final. The following season, 1992/93, saw Giggs and United win the inaugural Premier League title.

Ryan was an integral part of two Double-winning sides, in 1993/94 and 1995/96, before going one better in 1998/99
by adding the European Cup to the FA Cup and Premier League trophy. His contributions to the Treble-winning campaign included a superb solo goal to win the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal at Villa Park, commonly regarded as one of United's greatest ever goals.

Ryan celebrated 10 years at Old Trafford with a testimonial match against Celtic in 2001/02. A year later he bagged his 100th career goal in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and became only the second-ever player to play 700 games for United when he helped the Reds to a dramatic 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield in March 2007. Two months later,
he became a league title winner for the ninth time, beating the record of eight championship medals held by Liverpool legends Phil Neal and Alan Hansen.

In the interests of prolonging his club career at the highest level, Ryan retired from international football with Wales in June 2007 after 64 games and 12 goals. In October 2007, he extended his United contract to June 2009.

December 2007 brought two landmark feats - Ryan was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to football and he scored his 100th league career goal in the 4-0 home win over Derby County.


Ryan crowned the epic 2007/08 season, his 18th in United's first team, by scoring the Reds' second goal in the last-day league win at Wigan and slotting home what proved to be the decisive penalty in the Champions League final shoot-out.

Giggs' career continued with a flourish during 2008/09 when he adopted a more central position in midfield or just off the main striker. He extended his contract by another year in February 2009, effective to the end of 2009/10. In that same month he became the only player to score in every Premier League season when he netted in United's 1-0 win at West Ham.

MOSCOW (AP)—Manchester United beat Chelsea 6-5 in a rain-soaked penalty shootout to win the European Champions League title Wednesday night following a 1-1 tie.

In the first final between two English teams, Edwin van der Sar batted away Nicolas Anelka’s drive on the 14th kick to give Manchester United its third Champions League title. This championship, following titles in 1968 and 1999, came in the 50th anniversary year of the plane crash that killed eight United players in Munich, Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in the 26th minute for Manchester United, his 42nd goal of the season. Frank Lampard tied it for Chelsea in the 45th at Luzhniki Stadium, pointing both hands skyward in honor of his mother, who died last month.

Ronaldo, considered by many Europe’s top player this season, was stopped by goalkeeper Petr Cech on United’s third penalty kick. That gave the advantage to Chelsea, which has never won Europe’s top club title.

“When we missed the penalty kick, we thought we were in trouble,” said United’s Alex Ferguson, who led the club to its 22nd title overall since he became manager in September 1986.

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Chelsea captain John Terry stepped up with the score 4-4 and the chance to win it. But he slipped and his kick hit a post as Manchester keeper Edwin van der Sar dived the other way. Terry sat on the ground in disbelief.

“I was thinking he’s going to score,” United defender Rio Ferdinand said of Terry, his defensive teammate on the England squad. “He’s a great penalty taker normally. but he slipped.”

Anderson and Ryan Giggs—making his club-record 759th appearance—then converted for United around Salomon Kalou’s score for Chelsea.

That left it up to Anelka, whose failure at just past 1:30 a.m. set off another celebration for the Red Devils, who 10 days earlier won their second straight English Premier League title by beating out Chelsea on the final day of the season.

While his teammates ran to congratulate Van der Sar in front of the United fans behind the goal, Ronaldo lay face down in the center circle. Eventually he got up to join in the celebrations.

Terry was in tears at the end and was hugged and consoled by coach Avram Grant, who appeared to throw his runners-up medal toward Chelsea fans.

Carlos Tevez, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and Nani scored the other kicks for the Red Devils. Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Lampard, Ashley Cole converted for Chelsea.

Manchester United won its first European title since it was purchased three years ago by Malcolm Glazer, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 2003 Super Bowl.

Chelsea, which has become a European power under high-spending Russian owner Roman Abramovich, finished with 10 men after Didier Drogba was ejected in the 116th minute for petulantly tapping Nemanja Vidic in the face with his hand.

Only the pre-game opening ceremony made it look like Moscow. After that it could have been Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or Wembley as players so familiar with each other were roared on by English fans.

The first 25 minutes, however, were a poor advertisement for the Premier League as Chelsea stifled United’s efforts to create moves and the action got stuck in the midfield.

Ronaldo, poorly marked by Michael Essien, Ronaldo headed in a cross from Wes Brown, who had neatly swapped passes with Paul Scholes on the right wing. Ronaldo scored a Champions League-leading eight goals in 11 matches, and his season total was third in United history behind Denis Law (46 in 1963-64) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (44 in 2002-3).

Chelsea equalized when Essien’s shot hit defenders Vidic and Ferdinand, and the ball dropped to the unmarked Lampard, who scored from 12 yards.

Lampard hit the crossbar in the fourth minute of injury time with a left-footed shot from 15 yards. Giggs, who broke Bobby Charlton’s record for United appearances, nearly broke the tie in the 100th but Terry deflected