Twenty-up Giggs still hates losing

Whether he plays at Chelsea on Tuesday night or not, and whether United win or not, this will still be a significant week in the life of Giggs. Wednesday, March 2 will mark 20 years exactly since Giggs made his debut for the club with whom he has won 11 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, countless other trophies, some significant, some less so, and made 862 appearances. The honours are so huge in number and so varied in type it is pointless analysing them. Twenty years from now, children will look at football books and question their validity. How can one man achieve so much? Yet, as he sits in a small room at United's Carrington training complex, Giggs could hardly be more normal. Quietly-spoken, polite, a young man any parent would be proud of. Do not be fooled though. The exterior may be soft but it conceals a raging fire within that craves glory and remains hungry for success, pangs of starvation that do not come close to being satisfied by what has already been achieved. "I don't think about the titles I've won," he said. "Last year, for example, when Chelsea won the double, it wound me up. "It's not the fear of failure. It's craving that feeling of winning. "Losing the title by one point last year stayed with me. "I went away on holiday, I am lying on the beach enjoying myself with the kids, and then what happened comes back. It really winds you up. You are on holiday and you are really wound up." Actually, Giggs didn't say he was wound up. He said something else probably best not repeated. The sentiment is the same. The 37-year-old doesn't remember much of his debut against Everton, other than attempting one cross for Danny Wallace and being wiped out by Dave Watson. His first goal a couple of weeks later is rather more vivid - Manchester City were the victims. However, there is an early memory that was so significant at the time it shaped his entire career and is probably responsible for both Giggs' longevity and his success. A raw teenager, exposed to temptation from every angle, glamorous girlfriends only a snap of the fingers away. "In my first full season the Today newspaper ran a week-long feature, delving into my family, my dad's family, the rift between my mum and dad. It wakes you up quite quickly. It toughens you up," he said. "I went out with a few girls who were famous as well and photographers followed me. I was 19 at the time and I didn't like it. "I made a conscious decision to keep a low profile." In modern-day football, only Paolo Maldini could be compared as a one-club man at the very top of his profession. But Maldini was a defender, in Italy. Brilliant as he was, Maldini did not need to make lung-busting runs into the opposition penalty area, or charge back to help out his defence. Giggs' ability to achieve that is partly due to genetics, partly the dedication with which he has looked after his body. It has also helped that United have re-energised throughout his time at the club, from Eric Cantona, to Roy Keane, through to Cristiano Ronaldo. All are gone. But United keep on winning even though, according to Marseille boss Didier Deschamps, they currently lack some fantasy. "I don't know about that," said Giggs. "There has been a lot of talk about the Premier League not being as strong but if you look at what happened in the Champions League over the last couple of weeks, you can see it still is. "When we lost Cristiano and Carlos Tevez, we lost great players but we are still in a really good position." Giggs is reluctant to debate how long his career might last. He has signed another contract which, injury permitting, will see him pass 900 appearances, another record Giggs concedes is unlikely to be broken, like most of his others. It can only be a matter of time before his statue goes alongside those of Denis Law, George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton, who face Matt Busby, who stands as the overlord of Old Trafford. But there is one man who will almost certainly be there first, the man Giggs is adamant will go on a lot longer than him - Sir Alex Ferguson. "I just can't see the gaffer leaving in the near future." said Giggs. "It wouldn't surprise me if he carried on for another four or five years because his desire is still there. "He will be around a lot longer than me."