Due to his lengthy tenure at Manchester United, one-club guy Ryan Giggs is well-versed in the nuances of playing in the Premier League. He has shared his picks for the finest four midfielders in the English top flight’s history since its reorganisation in 1992.
The sparkling Welshman, who frequently strode down the left flank as if it were out of style, really has more Premier League titles (13) than anybody else on the planet. He was decorated, of course, but he was also a really talented football player!
On the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, hosted by Qatar Airways, which aired live at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 25, Giggs, who was born in Cardiff, listed the four greatest midfielders of the Premier League era, in his opinion.
“Who are the best midfielders in the Premier League?” Ferdinand enquired. Whether it’s Scholes, Gerrard, or Lampard, I know where they all go. You also have Vieira and Keane. Now de Bruyne. Who would you choose to be the midfielders’ Mount Rushmore?
Giggs’ Four All-Time Greatest Premier League Midfielders
Scholes, Paul
Alongside Giggs, Paul Scholes was a one-club man, but his ability to dictate the tempo caused his impact to soar. The calm engine room operator handled everything, and over the course of 21 years, he was among the first names on Sir Alex Ferguson’s teamsheet, provided he was healthy and available.
If you need any proof of his skill, listen to people like Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane, who have waxed poetic about his genius throughout the years. He is a Premier League great of the finest level, and not just because of his trophy collection. The number of times Giggs and Scholes played together was an impressive 478.
Paul Scholes: Statistics for the Premier League
Looks
499
Objectives
107
Helps
61
Awards for Player of the Month
4.
Titles in the Premier League
11.
Keane, Roy
The inclusion of Scholes poetically leads to Giggs’ other selection: Roy Keane, the Ginger Prince’s companion in crime and one of the best defensive midfielders in football history. Few football players would prevail in a match against the Irishman because they were so full of determination and that extra advantage.
Forget his public persona for a while; the former midfielder who is now a pundit was also a technically skilled player in the centre of the field. He played 378 games at Old Trafford with Giggs and won seven Premier League titles and the only Champions League! In actuality, very few can match Keane’s remarkable Manchester United club career.
Roy Keane: Statistics for the Premier League
Looks
366
Objectives
39
Helps
15.
Awards for Player of the Month
2.
Titles in the Premier League
7.
Lampard, Frank
Incredibly, over his long career at the top level of English football, Giggs faced Chelsea legend Frank Lampard—and Jamie Carragher, for that matter—more times (31) than any other player. Lamps, who is currently Coventry City’s manager, was well-known for his ability to score goals from midfield.
The Premier League’s all-time goalscoring charts do not include any other engine room patroller, in fact. In addition, he dominated the middle of the park with great ease. He had a 13-game winning record versus Giggs and an equal amount of losses. An authentic legend about Stamford Bridge.
Premier League Statistics for Frank Lampard
Looks
611.
Objectives
177
Helps
115
Awards for Player of the Month
4.
Titles in the Premier League
3.
Gerrard, Steven
It’s hard to overlook Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard when considering midfielders with a skill set so diverse that nothing is impossible. And Giggs, who faced the former Reds captain 30 times, picked him even though he had never won Premier League gold while on the Anfield books.
Dedicated to the pitch, Gerrard, who is considered to be among the best midfielders in football history, spent the majority of his 749-game career with his boyhood team. Born in Liverpool, he was tenacious, an excellent ball passer, and incredibly good at seeing danger. Some would say the whole package.
Statistics for Steven Gerrard in the Premier League
Looks
504
Objectives
121
Helps
97
Awards for Player of the Month
6.
Titles in the Premier League
0
Giggs gave Scholes special recognition.
Ferdinand went poetic about his former clubmate as well.
It should not be surprising that Giggs chose Scholes, a fellow Class of ’92 player who was born and nurtured in Salford, Manchester, when Ferdinand asked him which of the four midfielders described above was better. The former wide man said of his friend:
However, it’s similar to the Messi-Ronaldo dynamic. Have fun with him, you know. In other words, simply enjoy it. It won’t be seen again.
Ferdinand, who was born in London, also thought highly of the elegant midfield player. Yes, precisely. I’m not sure if I loved playing with other players and watching things in a game as much as you did, you know, when you’re talking about simply enjoying him.”
Do you recall, for example, how we used to huddle when he would arrive, and how I would rush up to celebrate and say some crazy things? However, I’m not sure what I used to say,” Ferdinand went on. “And I used to see you or Scholesy sometimes go like, in the midst of it all, go…”
“Remember that? Yes. I was angry once. Yes, but there were times when I thought, “Wow,” when you and the other player made a pass that no one else I knew on the pitch would do. And I would simply think, “Oh my God.”
People would assume that I would go to the goal scorer while I was running up, but instead I would just go to one of you and say, f******, what a pass, buddy. F You understand what I mean? ****** hell, that’s f****** cinematic,” Ferdinand went on. Like, fucking crazy.”
Reasons for De Bruyne’s Exclusion from the Man Utd Legend David Silva and Fabregas are also left out of Giggs’ top four
However, what about any current players, like Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City? The Belgian has made a strong case to be included in the discussion, but Giggs disagrees. He recently declared that he will be leaving his employers at the conclusion of the season.
Despite calling the offensive midfielder “unbelievable,” the 51-year-old former winger passed him over due to his apparent incapacity to play in a two-man pivot. Yes, but there’s De Bruyne, you know, clearly. De Bruyne is outstanding.
Like, but might De Bruyne have participated in a two-way game? I’m not sure, but he might be able to if he had the appropriate partner.
“Cesc Fabregas and David Silva are both fantastic players. You will undoubtedly claim that they are superior to the midfield players we just discussed if you cheer for that side. Giggs went on to say that David Silva and Cesc Fabregas might feel unfairly treated.
The entire Rio Meets Ryan Giggs conversation is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 25.
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