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| No | 68% | 112 votes | Total: 165 votes | |
| Yes | 32% | 53 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIn the beginning there was Ryan Giggs, a superstar in the making, a precious talent,
who at seventeen was compared to the footballing legends, the likes of Best, Cryuff and Pele. What went wrong you may ask? He has after all never played in a world cup or made the kind of global impact that David Beckham has. In answer to this, he has done nothing wrong. The only hindrance that has ever held his career back has been his Welsh parentage. Not that he will admit this, as fiercely proud of his country, he has represented Wales over a hundred times at international level. The trouble being, they have never been quite good enough to qualify for major championships.
If Ryan Giggs had been English, there is every degree of certainty that he would have been a regular in the England side. This undoubtedly would have made him a superstar able to grace the stage with England at the European championships and World cup. Ever one to let his football do his talking, we can only imagine at what impact he could have made. This is essentially the difference between himself and
Beckham. Afforded the opportunity, Beckham has been able to capitalize on his assets as a football player to build an iconic image.
Where this becomes unfair, is that David Beckham is narcissistic and thrives on adulation and media attention. This has seen a calculated attempt to project himself beyond his role of a football player. Creating his own special brand, people
associate his popularity with connotations far beyond soccer, revering his Wealth,
image and celebrity. Like cult leaders, his fans place him beyond criticism from fear of destroying his myth and their own belief systems which Beckham instills in them.
In this context, David Beckham receives unconditional support regardless of his footballing performances. As people aspire to be him, they can do little else but see his positive contributions. In this atmosphere, Beckham's achievements are lorded beyond all comparison. A thirty yard pass or bending free kick becomes superlative, in the same way his hair styles and clothes are hero worshiped in the press. Let's be honest, he probably has the same haircut as me and you and wears
the same styled tops, regardless of their designer labels. On the football pitch, we must judge Beckham's performance accordingly. He does not, as is commonly assumed, play football far beyond the ability of his other team mates. Surprisingly, during a match, other players are able to make the same impact as he is. In fact,Beckham like many professionals,lacks an essential illusive quality that is missing from the modern game. The ability to dribble past people and to create chances for himself and his team, from seemingly impossible situations.Ryan Giggs has never had this problem and is essentially a more complete player than Beckham, able to emulate
him in every facet of the game.
Sadly, for Giggs, apart from a lack of opportunity, he is introverted and has remained a private person, avoiding media attention. Rather than this be detrimental, it highlights his own sense of values. A dedicated professional, he has
remained loyal to football and wants only to be judged for his performances on the pitch. This concludes that the career of Ryan Giggs has been very successful, regardless of his hon ours with Manchester united. When we think of him as a football
player, our hairs on our backs tingle and stand on end, giving to us a real sense of excitement and anticipation. These connotations are not apparent when referring to David Beckham. Unable to entertain the crowd Like Giggs, he relies on image to
create his throne. What this should highlight to the public, is whether his adulation is more deserving than Ryan Giggs. In footballing terms, who is the real
hero?
Learn more about this author, Jamie Warren.
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Yes
Ryan Giggs can certainly thank David Beckham for the last few years of his career. Giggsy shot onto the scene as a teenager when he was built up as the next George Best. He was protected by his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson from the glare of the media and it was a few years before he was allowed to give his first interview. Ferguson quite rightly wanted to keep Giggs concentrating on his football career. A lot of people don't realize how few non-competitive matches Giggs actually played for his native Wales. And now he has retired from international football in a bid to extend his career.
When Beckham came along, he was a dream for the media - a kind of Spice Boy. Millions of column inches have been dedicated to him and his family. Giggs has generally stayed in the background. Once Beckham upped and left for Real Madrid, people again started to realize what a talent Manchester United had in Giggs.
During Giggs's formative years, he was firstly protected by Ferguson and then put in the shade publicity wise by Beckham's emergence. He was given comparative anonymity while he was developing. But his ability was never in doubt. Only when he was getting older and already established did he start to come more into the spotlight as club captain and leading player. I reckon Giggs is a far better player than Beckham. But Giggs must thanks Beckham for deflecting much of the attention he would have been subjected to had Becks not been around.
Learn more about this author, Phil Hill.
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