The Telegraph - 22nd October 1998

Even his face is aerodynamic. High cheekbones frame eyes set deep and the nose comes to a delicate point. Were the features designed in a wind-tunnel they could not be better set. Ryan Giggs is indeed a remarkable specimen. At 24 the Manchester United icon is firmly established in the pantheon of Old Trafford greats.

His book, Chasing Perfection, may already be out of date judging by his exquisite contribution in Copenhagen on Wednesday, including two goals neither of which required the use of his left foot. Giggs' credibility and status as a superstar of the modern game is underpinned by a stack of medals - the like of which few can boast - the respect of his peers at home and abroad, and queues at a Manchester book store this week which trailed halfway down Deansgate.

His languid, balletic talent has assumed greater importance in the post-Cantona period. It was no coincidence that United's Championship challenge began to wane in the six weeks he was absent last season. Roy Keane was missed but not as badly as Giggs.

The role of talisman sits comfortably on shoulders slender yet strong. Seven years at the cutting edge of the United dream factory have enhanced rather than diminished what is essentially a sensitive soul. Giggs, despite the odd hiccup, has grown into a fairly well-adjusted, balanced young man. He is football's Millennium man.

Modesty forbids glowing self-appraisal and a guarded personality keeps his inner-most thoughts locked deep. He is not wholly comfortable talking about himself but he accepts his part of the role that fate has handed him.

"I'm aware of my importance to the supporters of United. I have a special relationship with them. I grew up here from the age of seven. I'm a local lad who knows what it is like to shout from the terraces," said Giggs. "I'm a United fan. I watched the likes of Robson, Hughes and Whiteside from the Stretford End. I know how much it hurts when the team loses. How much we the players influence the mood in the town. That is a big responsibility. And one I take seriously.

"I have always realised we have a responsibility to do well. Not just for ourselves as players but for the people who pay their money week in week out. It is an honour and a privilege to play for this club. I've never forgotten about that."

Indeed not, evident by the serious hard labour endured for upwards of an hour on Thursday afternoon signing books by the hundred. Never once did he complain despite arriving home in the early hours and reporting for training beforehand. Book shops are not Giggs' natural habitat. That said, his second edition to the burgeoning literary genre - sporting autobiographies - is a creditable effort, beautifully presented and well written.

It does, however, have a major flaw. It fails to communicate his sense of humour. According to former team-mate Ben Thornley, now at Huddersfield, Giggs is only a fez short of Tommy Cooper.

"No-one believes me when I tell them this. They think Ryan is super serious, but he's not," said Thornley. "He's better than Tommy Cooper at keeping his face straight while delivering a one-liner. He cracks everybody up in the dressing-room."

Giggs declined when asked to give an example for his repertoire, admitting only that when the mickey-taking starts it does so with him. Seven years on from his debut, Giggs is a rich man - a millionaire with wealth enough to buy a pile in the country, top of the range Porsche and a home for mum, Lynn, who remains a force in his life. The same is not so of his father, who brought the family north 17 years ago when he signed pro for Swinton Rugby League Club.

"I don't see much of my dad," said Giggs, eyes alert as if to forbid further probing. "He lives back in Wales. He is no longer a big part of my life."

Though Lynn played league baseball in Wales, it is his father from whom Giggs inherited the major part of his athletic gifts - speed and balance. In full flow he is one of the most awesome sights in world football. How foolish the journalist from The Times must feel three years after putting his name to an article explaining why Giggs would never be a great player.

For some he was never anything else.

"I remember his first game for Salford Boys Under-11s," said Thornley. "I was only 10 and playing for the B team. Ryan had missed the trials so the coach couldn't pick him for the A team. All he said was: 'this is Ryan he'll be playing on the left wing today'."

The match was against Bootle, formidable even at 11 as teams from Merseyside tend to be.

"Nobody fancied it," said Thornley. "They all seemed older and bigger than us. I'm sure they had already started shaving. The A team got beat. We went on straight after fearing the worst. I don't know why. We won 8-1. Ryan scored six. A double hat-trick on his debut. He was all elbows and knees but even then it was obvious he was different class."

Six years later Giggs achieved his life-long ambition when he pulled on the cherry red shirt of United. The fortunes of both player and team have risen inexorably since, with only the European Cup eluding their grasp.

Not for much longer if the display in Denmark is any guide. For Giggs, like his manager Alex Ferguson, landing the Holy Grail is almost all that matters.

"Money doesn't motivate me now. It used to when I was a teenager. As an apprentice, the win bonuses made the difference. A big difference. Money mattered then. But the more you earn, the less money motivates you, I find," explained Giggs in his book. "Having more money has the opposite effect to winning more trophies. The more trophies I win, the more I want to win trophies.

"I'm not like that with the money I've earned. Players today are on good money to win games and be successful. But that doesn't mean that players try harder when the cash rewards are increased. For me, it's not about the money."

Should United secure the European Cup in the near future, the name Giggs will merit mention alongside Law, Charlton and Best.

Not just a great, but a legend.

It is a fate his skills demand. And his nature, too. Giggs is hero material from head to toe, a leader by example and deed. The one who can make a difference. Cantona was such a player and it is the Frenchman's mantle that Giggs is beginning to assume.

A more fitting successor the King could not have.

"I have the chance to make history, to be remembered the same way as the great players of Manchester United,'' added Giggs. "Eric will always be remembered like that. If I can do the same at the end of my career, I'll be happy."