Manchester United: Is Ryan Giggs the Greatest Premier League Player of All Time?

The milestones are coming almost as quick as the plaudits.

As Saturday heralded a 12^th league title, not to mention the sideshow of equalling the league appearance record, Ryan Giggs' star appears to be burning brightest when it should be long-since extinct.

He’s the league’s most decorated player, and on Sunday he will probably drift onto the hallowed Old Trafford turf to become its most capped. He has been ubiquitous in the Premier League era, but is he the best player in the competition's history?

It’s certainly hard to argue otherwise. He has not only appeared and scored in every renewal, but played a crucial part in every season.

The pretenders to the crown, while their time in the league was noteworthy, it seems fleeting compared to Ryan Giggs. Thierry Henry spent eight years at Arsenal, and Cristiano Ronaldo had six at Manchester United. And while both had seasons where their imprint on the league was indelible, neither have left the same legacy as Giggs.

Henry Rollins believed ‘one defines oneself by reinvention’ and perhaps there lies the secret to Giggs’ success.  

For as long as many can remember, he has been a leftwinger, reliant on pace and trickery, and it seemed that when his legs went, so too would Giggs. But how many wingers, after almost two decades at the top, could relocate to the centre of midfield and command elite games with the orchestral grace of Mozart?

Perhaps if he dropped down the leagues, or even the pyramid, it might not be such a surprise. Maybe even if he was merely the brains in a three-man engine room it might be credible, yet Giggs has slipped seamlessly into a two midfield in pivotal games with incredible ease.

Chelsea boasted a powerful middle third with the intensity and brawn of Essien, the coltish energy of Ramires allied to the guile of Lampard, yet Giggs managed to outshine all three in three successive encounters within the last six weeks.

Perhaps his remarkable longevity is best illustrated by drawing parallels with his comrade Paul Scholes. While Schole’s declining legs have become a liability, Giggs’ footballing brain conjures a virtue from what should be a handicap. Making his debut three years before Scholes, it’s not inconceivable that he may still be contributing to the United cause a few years after the ginger assassin hangs up his holster. Considering Scholes' own claims on the accolade, there can be no greater praise than that.