Ryan Giggs or Gareth Bale?

Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale are two of Wales’s greatest ever players, and over the years we’ve had great pleasure watching both play. The big debate in recent months has been who is the better of the two?

Ryan Giggs is arguably the Premier League’s greatest ever player, and his record of 672 games for Manchester United is a record that is unlikely to be beaten. Gareth Bale, however, is the worlds most expensive player after his £80 million move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, and he has achieved so much in his relatively short career to date. Injury permitting, Bale should go on to become the first Welsh player to win 100 caps, comfortably overtaking Giggs who made 64 Welsh caps.

Giggs may have the added advantage of spending his entire club career at Manchester United when the club were one of the most successful in Europe. He achieved more than most players could ever imagine during his time at Old Trafford, whereas Bale has only recently added silverware to his repitour after his Madrid move.

If both players were in their prime now we think Bale would just edge it. He has a far better goalscoring record than Giggs and can play in a number of different positions. Giggs had a scoring record of almost 1 in 6 for United, compared to Bale who averages almost 1 in 3 for club.

But in recent years, goals have become a massive part of a midfielders role. Take a look at the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo for example, who’s goal tally at club level has seen him become one of the world’s best midfield players in history. If Giggs had been playing now, he would have been expected to chip in with more goals.

Needless to say, it was a difficult decision, but we have decided to go for Gareth Bale. What Giggs has achieved at club level during his player career was simply remarkable, but Bale has the opportunity not only to become the best Welsh player in history, but potentially one of the best players in the world.