An England schoolboy international, Giggs has always played his international football for Wales, after being born in Cardiff.

From his first match in March 1991 Giggs has always been regarded as one of the hottest properties in European football and has lived up to his billing for United putting in some stunning displays, on either wing, as centre forward or as in the 1995-96 as a central midfielder.

Always compared to George Best, Giggs started his full time career alternating between first team and youth team appearances and in the 1991-92 season won a FA Youth Cup winners medal, while making 38 league appearances for United.

A month before that Youth Cup final he became the youngest man to play for Wales when running out against Germany aged 17 years and 321 days. He followed United great Duncan Edwards into the record books, who was the youngest man to play for England.

Giggs has taken up record-breaking as a past-time and also became the first player to win the PFA's Young Player of the Year award in successive seasons (1992 and 1993), also winning the Barclays Bank Young Eagle of the Year in 1992.

Goalscoring has been Giggs' only Achilles heel and he went almost 100 games up to the start of the 1995-96 with only two goals to his name, but in his role as creator he has won a special place in the hearts of United fans.

His real skill is the ability to beat defenders, the blistering acceleration, and the whipped-in crosses.

In the 1994-95 season Giggs form dropped as United blew the chance of a hat trick of Premier League titles and bowed out of the Champions League again only for it to return as Eric Cantona came back from his nine-month ban.

Injuries and a string of headturning girlfriends accompanied his dip in high level performances, along with money made outside the game, boot deals and as many lucrative contracts as he could sign.

His mailbag is one of the biggest in British football - in a good week he gets over 2,000 letters and on Valentine's Day this figure is trebled, enough attention to turn the head of the most sensible teenager.

United fans were delighted to see the doubters proved wrong at the start of the 1995-96 season and Giggs return to his mecurial best.

Most people are astonished at how well the wonder boy has handled his fame. He is treated like Royalty wherever he goes but has never wandered off the straight and narrow into a path well trodden by former football teen idols like George Best.

He keeps his feet on the ground, helped by a protective manager in Alex Ferguson, who even stopped him giving interviews to the media in his first couple of seasons in the first team.

Best is in fact envious of the chances given to Giggs to keep his mind on football. Best says: "Everybody makes mistakes and I made loads. But I think you're lucky if you have someone like Alex to look after you."

Best is a great admirer of the man who sits on his throne at Old Trafford and adds: "The one thing all great athletes have is perfect balance.

"Ryan has it and that's why he doesn't get hurt in tackles. I've always believed any great player could play in any particular period of time.

Ryan regained his form in the 1995-96 season, helping United achieve the 'double' once again. Perhaps his best goal in the campaign came against Manchester City, a breathtaking netbuster from a very acute angle winning the game 3-2 for United.

Giggs had another season where slight injuries interupted the flow of his game in 96/97, but he still managed to put in some terrific performances.

Perhaps his best ever performance in a United shirt came in the Champions League quarter-final against Porto at Old Trafford. Deputising for Roy Keane in midfield, Giggs tore into the Portuguese side and helped United to a 4-0 win, scoring the third, brilliant goal himself.

Giggs started the 97/98 season again slightly hampered by injuries, but he returned to face Juventus in the Champions League. Giggs scored another unbelievable goal as United went on to win 3-2, in a result that sent shock waves around Europe.