Alessandro Del Piero famously once said “There have only been two footballers that have made me cry. The first one was Roberto Baggio; the second was Ryan Giggs."

The most decorated athlete in football history, Giggs was a once-in-a-lifetime type of player who could make grown men shed a tear. In a 23-year career the Welshman won 13 Premier League titles, nine FA Community Shields, four FA Cups, four English League Cups and two Champions Leagues all with Manchester United. The midfielder was the face of the Red Devils in the 90’s and 2000’s, going down as one of the greatest ever.

Giggs will aim to add yet another trophy to his collection when he joins Darren Clarke’s Rest of World Team at ICONS of Football 2017 at The Belfry on 23rd-25th June.

Although he was born in Cardiff, Giggs and his family moved to Salford, Greater Manchester, when his father, a rugby player, signed with Swinton RLFC in 1980. He was so impressive as a teen playing for his local team that Sir Alex Ferguson showed up at Giggs’ house on his 14th birthday and offered him two years at schoolboy level with Manchester United.

Giggs would make his League debut in 1991 as a substitute and, in the following years, he slowly worked his way into a permanent spot in the Manchester United lineup at left midfield. Almost immediately he found success, winning PFA Young Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.

A even-tempered player who was never sent off during his time with Manchester United, Giggs ended up winning Premier League Player of the Year three times and went on to spearhead the Manchester United dynasty, becoming the face of the Premier League. He even had his own television show at 21-years-old, the program appropriately titled Ryan Giggs’ Soccer Skills.

When it was all said and done, Giggs broke the record for most Premier League assists with 162, a record which still stands today. His 632 League appearances is also a record. Club-wise, Giggs appeared in a record 963 games for the Red Devils and ranks seventh all-time in goals scored with 168.

On the international stage, Giggs appeared for the Welsh national team 64 times, but never in a major tournament. He still scored 12 times for Wales, and played for the Great Britain squad in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Very rarely does a player of Giggs’ pedigree remain with one club for twenty-plus years, but that is exactly what he did. After a stint as player-manager for United, Giggs retired for good in June 2014.

He could score from anywhere and he made Alessandro Del Piero cry. Clearly, Ryan Giggs was one of the best to ever take the pitch. Now he will be looking to make his teammate cry with joy again – this time as the two team up to take down England at ICONS of Football 2017.

Tickets for Icons of Football 2017 are available now at icons-series.com