Ryan Wilson, for obvious, bias reasons.
Who is the greater player: Ryan Giggs vs Gareth Bale
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Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
Bale and it isn’t even close
Bale for me. He was a genuine consistent match winning force in his own right... what he did for Wales was phenomenal. Giggs more of a support act.
Not even close? Is longeivity and contribution to the buildup completely irrelevant?
Yeah? Well, there was the small matter of a certain Portugueezer who carried Bale's injured self to those finals. You know, the guy that ensured Bale didn't ever have a sniff of the BdO despite all these winners? Bale's CL inflate his "worth" for people - who seen to forget that Bale was largely carried to the CL finals by one of the best teams in the world and one of the top 2-4 players in history! And Modric and Kroos and co...
Giggs easily was the better player over his career and even at an individual level, the young Giggs, tearing up the left wing was a terror for defenders. It was a different era though and you can't compare goal returns for a multitude of reasons. Giggs would be the better in every respect IMO, barring the right foot of course...
Giggs : Long term, value investing
Bale : Trading
Bale : Trading
If both where 17 today and I could only sign one of them, Giggs by a massive margin.
The only thing Bale had over Giggs was goals. Maybe if Giggs had of started the same time as Bale he would score more as the fame is geared towards attackers now & lack of contact by defenders allowed.
The only thing Bale had over Giggs was goals. Maybe if Giggs had of started the same time as Bale he would score more as the fame is geared towards attackers now & lack of contact by defenders allowed.
George Best must have been useless, he never played in any major finals, only won 1 European cup & won a fraction of league titles compared to Ryan Giggs.
Using trophies or international honours only tell part of the story. Sure its important but its not the be all.
Matt Le Tissier was a very good footballer, much better than lingard for example but lingard has won multiple trophies and has more England caps. Le Tissier won nothing in his career.
Player's true greatness is directly proportional of their consistency and career longevity. Giggs, in that, is far greater than Bale.
If you are any team - would you rather have had Bale with all his troubles, on your books, for years, or Giggs? Who would have benefitted your success more, over 10+ years career?
The candid answer to that question is the cool-headed answer to who is greater. But football is a highly emotional sport and to a fan somebody's one remarkable goal may be more unforgettable than another player's entire distinguished career. So, there is that...
If you are any team - would you rather have had Bale with all his troubles, on your books, for years, or Giggs? Who would have benefitted your success more, over 10+ years career?
The candid answer to that question is the cool-headed answer to who is greater. But football is a highly emotional sport and to a fan somebody's one remarkable goal may be more unforgettable than another player's entire distinguished career. So, there is that...
be interesting to know how old you are? Did you ever watch Giggs in the 90’s?
Yeah like seriously. Giggsy was a superb passer. Guy played in central midfield as well, Bale would never survive there.
The only people voting Bale would not have been old enough to have watched Giggs as a teenager!
When Giggsy dribbled, the ball was stuck to his foot. Bale is all about pace and power and so was never going to be able to sustain his peak for very long.
When Giggsy dribbled, the ball was stuck to his foot. Bale is all about pace and power and so was never going to be able to sustain his peak for very long.
Bale's peak was 89 minutes of mediocrity ending with a long range goal that would win you the game. Giggs' peak was 90 minutes of running with the ball, creativity, helping out the midfield and defense and eventually scoring a goal or setting it up. Bale's peak lasted around 2-3 seasons vs Giggs' that lasted over 15 years.
Even if you compare their end product Giggs isn't that far off considering he played much more defensive role in his career.
Only thing Bale has over Giggs is his international career, and that's one competition so far. Apart from that it's Giggs all day long.
Even if you compare their end product Giggs isn't that far off considering he played much more defensive role in his career.
Only thing Bale has over Giggs is his international career, and that's one competition so far. Apart from that it's Giggs all day long.
Yeah. I mean, what was Luis Figo's goalscoring record goalscoring record? I think it's a faulty exercise to merely compare end product. The role of a wide player has evolved significantly. Giggs spent much of his career near the byline. He spent another chunk in the middle of the pitch performing very well if I may add. Bale has since his genuine arrival always been an end product player. He would spend 80 minutes taking heavy touches or at least not displaying impeccable control/general play and hammer one in from 35 yards. That's a great value to have but A) different type of players in different eras and B) you can't consider only one factor. I think the times would ensure that Giggs would be a goalscoring forward if he came through today.
Also, when it comes to trophy count, the difference in league titles is really stark. Bale having won a single league title in his whole career is pretty remarkable IMO, even if understandable due to many factors (namely Spurs and Barcelona).
If Bale was a ManUnited player He would have been a much greater player minus his cars getting abused
When he played midfield in 2011 and was closer to goal he scored or assisted in every knockout round of the CL, including the final.
Bales top level has also lasted a surprisingly short period of time. His last 2 years has been nowhere and hes only 30
Peak match : Bale
Peak season : Giggs
Career : Giggs (just, maybe a tie)
Legend status : not even close
Golf handicap : Bale
Extramarital relations with family members : Michael Owen
Peak season : Giggs
Career : Giggs (just, maybe a tie)
Legend status : not even close
Golf handicap : Bale
Extramarital relations with family members : Michael Owen
Bale for peak, Giggs for overall career.
I’m going to say Giggs given how long he did it for and how he managed to reinvent himself but at his very best I think Bale was probably a better player or game winner. There were times for Spurs where he was truly unplayable and that season where he finally took off was something to behold.
This is no disrespect to Bale but mentioning him and Giggs in same sentence is like putting Christian Erikssen in the same category as Paul Scholes. I think lot of you are forgetting how deadly and devastating Giggsy was in his prime years. I'm not talking about goals/assists. I'm talking about total game. Of course Bale is a great player but for me there is no competition.
Who had the better peak?
Bale was reliant on pace and power. It worked very well but it was one dimensional.
Giggs in his early years was just a natural footballer. The way he ran at full pace with the ball glued to his feet. He was one of those players you watch games hoping to see. Bale has never had that quality.
Bale was reliant on pace and power. It worked very well but it was one dimensional.
Giggs in his early years was just a natural footballer. The way he ran at full pace with the ball glued to his feet. He was one of those players you watch games hoping to see. Bale has never had that quality.
What was Giggs best ever Individual season? Has he ever been Man Utd’s best player in a season?
genuine questions.
genuine questions.
Ryan Giggs. Bale looked like he was going to overtake him, but I don't think that he is going to anymore. Yes, he has a by far better career for Wales and his European record is better, but the fact that he has been semi-retired for a couple of years now, while Giggs had managed to play at the top level until 40, makes the choice easier. And while Bale was probably a better player at his peak, the difference between him and young Giggs was not that big, Giggsy had used to single-handedly destroy the best defensive units in the world — take Arsenal or Juve as an example.
How many UCL/league winning teams has Erickson been apart of? That’s a rubbish comparison.
Comparing them is the same as comparing Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
One is the freak athlete and stat king, who had that insane training ethic to be the best.
The other is the once in a generation crowd entertainer who has the stadium gasping in disbelief at his endless tricks, and ability to make a mockery of defenders. The type of player you happily pay your hard earned cash to see every weekend.
One is the freak athlete and stat king, who had that insane training ethic to be the best.
The other is the once in a generation crowd entertainer who has the stadium gasping in disbelief at his endless tricks, and ability to make a mockery of defenders. The type of player you happily pay your hard earned cash to see every weekend.
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David May was Champions League and Premier League winner and has more PL medals than players like LeTissier, Shearer, Gerrard, Zola, Desailly and so on. Does it make him better player? Sometimes it is not about how many trophies a player have (even if Giggs have more in this case to). If you are under 30, as I suspect, I understand that you might not seen Ryan Giggs at his best.
Behave haha. I love Giggs but come on.
Are you comparing David Mays CONTRIBUTION to our CL win to Bales for Madrid’s? I’m 30 years old.
Eh, wait, I need to think....
Always great when people just point to trophy haul when comparing individual players, and then act like it's not a debate to be had. It's just part of the equation, and not a deal breaker in most cases. I could make the obligatory examples of Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, ... but think you're both smart enough to get the point.
Done. This is a very close one, although a poll here probably won't reflect that.
Bale's peak was higher but Giggs managed to sustain higher standards for longer.
Bale has European wins and international career in his favour too. It's definitely a good debate.
Bale has European wins and international career in his favour too. It's definitely a good debate.
It's a hard question, really depends on which particular metric you are measuring them by. Despite obvious similarities their careers have been very different. What is more important a higher peak or sustained sucess? Unparalleled European dominance or unparalleled domestic dominance? Giggs is more of a tradition 442 winger as suited the time, would a modern day Giggs match Bales output as a wide forward in a 433?
I much rather sign a 17 year old Giggs than Bale but that doesn't necessarily make them the greater player.
I much rather sign a 17 year old Giggs than Bale but that doesn't necessarily make them the greater player.
Totally agree. Bale looked phenomenal in his final year at Tottenham, often stepped up and changed the game single-handedly, but he failed to extend his form. Since he joined Madrid, he had been living under the shadow of Ronaldo, and he had never reached that level again.
As for the national team, imo Ramsey played equally well as Bale in Euro 16. Allen and Vokes also contributed a lot. It's unfair if Bale took all the credit.
To put it this way — our treble-winning side wouldn't improve if you were to put Bale instead of Giggs, but Bale's Wales or Tottenham wouldn't benefit from the switch either.
I think that for a better and more coherent team you'd benefit from Giggsy's workrate, versatility and creativity, but Bale's drive and the ability to get himself into goalscoring positions (and his insane shooting) makes him a better choice for a team built around him. It's a shame that he went to Madrid, where he failed to adapt with Cristiano as a main man (while still producing great numbers, mind), and fell out of the manager's favour due to his injuries & lifestyle. If he had transferred to us instead of Madrid... although given the state we've been over the past years, we'd probably ruin him as well.
Pace — about the same
Dribbling, Creativity, Passing, Crossing, Workrate, Longevity, Versatility — Giggs
Shooting, Heading, Goalscoring movement, Free kicks, Big moments — Bale
To be fair, the margins in most categories are quite slim.
I think that for a better and more coherent team you'd benefit from Giggsy's workrate, versatility and creativity, but Bale's drive and the ability to get himself into goalscoring positions (and his insane shooting) makes him a better choice for a team built around him. It's a shame that he went to Madrid, where he failed to adapt with Cristiano as a main man (while still producing great numbers, mind), and fell out of the manager's favour due to his injuries & lifestyle. If he had transferred to us instead of Madrid... although given the state we've been over the past years, we'd probably ruin him as well.
Pace — about the same
Dribbling, Creativity, Passing, Crossing, Workrate, Longevity, Versatility — Giggs
Shooting, Heading, Goalscoring movement, Free kicks, Big moments — Bale
To be fair, the margins in most categories are quite slim.
The only thing Bale has is CL wins and Giggs has 2 of them himself, played in the same amount of finals. Hell Bale found hinself on the bench during their last 2 CL campaign wins so I dont see how its even that much in his favour?
Bale has a breakout season at Spurs, had a good 2 years at Madrid then got destroyed by injuries. I dont even see whats to compare here. Bales window is so small.
It was you who started with "How many UCL/league winning teams has Erickson been apart of?" And I just answered you that trophies don't need to show how good someone is or have been even if in this case Giggs is more decorated. I never said May were better. Did I? Just pointing out that players with less quality can win more trophies compared to those players who are better. But okey, If you want another player lets take Nicky Butt. He played lot more than May and was often on the pitch against "better" teams. Hs contribution can't be underestimated for us. That doesn't make him better player than Bale. And while Bale have been important part in Madrid's CL wins, that doesn't make him better player than Giggs.
So I will stick with that I said from begining. Giggs to Bale is what Scholes is to Eriksen.
During his peak early years, i found Giggs prettty exasperating at times as, like most wingers there were plenty of games where things didn't come off for him. As is often the way with that type of player. But when he was good, which was still a hell of a lot, he was absolutely sensational.
Bale, by comparison, was pretty much a speed merchant. He had Giggs' pace - and a great shot - but without the skill or dribbling ability. He seemed so one dimensional that I always felt that it was a matter of time until he was found out by defenders. And, of the 2, Giggs adapted better, so had much greater longevity.
So, all things considered, it's Giggs for me, by a distance.
Bale, by comparison, was pretty much a speed merchant. He had Giggs' pace - and a great shot - but without the skill or dribbling ability. He seemed so one dimensional that I always felt that it was a matter of time until he was found out by defenders. And, of the 2, Giggs adapted better, so had much greater longevity.
So, all things considered, it's Giggs for me, by a distance.
I didn't say that it's in Bale's favour, far from it. It's definitely an area Giggs trumps him in, and for what it's worth I would answer Giggs without much further thought. But it seems that a lot of people think that it's debatable, so just let them instead of going "/thread" based on a trophy count post.
Bale's peak was probably higher than Giggs' as well, but it didn't last long enough.
In fairness just to answer your question. Giggs was on the bench for 08 final and Bale’s scored the winner in 2 finals. That’s why it’s in his favour.
Do people bring up the longevity when discussing Ronaldinho, R9 and RVP? This argument only ever seems to come out for certain players.