Ryan Giggs' reaction to Premier League Hall of Fame snub – 'The most important thing'

Ryan Giggs claims he is not bothered by his repeated snubbing by the Hall of Fame. The icon explained that he doesn’t pay attention to the list, instead stating “the most important thing” for him is that he won games and trophies.

Giggs, 51, is often regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation, spending the entirety of his 24-year professional career with United before retiring in 2014. The Welshman is the most decorated player in Premier League history with 13 titles and is third in all-time appearances (632), owing to his talent, remarkable longevity and versatility.

He was even named by his legendary Red Devils manager Sir as one of only the Scot ever coached. And so, when the Premier League launched its new Hall of Fame in 2020, many believed Giggs would be .

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However, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry were the first two names inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021, followed by the likes of Eric Cantona, , , Dennis Bergkamp, and Giggs’ former team-mate - . The former Wales manager has not been among the 22 names included, having missed out each time.

To cap it off, he wasn’t even named on a 15-man shortlist for the 2024 HoF nominations. That’s led to the belief among his biggest advocates, including ex-Red Devils team-mate , that he is being glaringly overlooked and underrated despite all of his achievements.

Ferdinand - recording the latest episode of his , presented by Airways, which went live on April 25 - asked Giggs: “Are you bothered at all that you're not in the Premier League Hall of Fame? The first two inductees, I didn't imagine anyone else.

“You were the first person that jumps off the page to me. Does that play on your mind at all? Do you think, you know, how am I not in there?”

Giggs replied: “Not really. No, I mean, I didn't think about it until you just brought it up. I don't think about it. I think when you start off, you don't... These are the things that you're not striving for. You're striving off to win games and try and win trophies. That's the most important thing for me.”

The Welshman went on to ask: “Are you in it?,” to which Ferdinand said: “I made it, mate,” leading Giggs to jokingly say: “Now I am upset. Now I am… Jeez. What’s going on? I’m going to look at the list now when I go home.”

Giggs added: “Is Nev [] on it?” as Ferdinand said: “No, I don’t think Nev’s on it yet. He’ll get on it soon. He’ll talk his way into it, won’t he?”

Although there have been no official explanations as to why Giggs has been left out of the Hall of Fame, the that many people have concluded ‘the controversy over his character lay behind his absence’. Giggs has been at the centre of various in recent years.

Having been quizzed on what he wanted his legacy to be, the former 1999 Treble-winning hero highlighted the most important thing for him, saying: “I did want to entertain. I wanted to entertain in training. I wanted to entertain myself.

“At United, you've got to win. But at the same time, if you can entertain and try things—you know, try little nutmegs, try little tricks, try and take players on.”

Listen to the full Rio Meets Ryan Giggs interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify from 6am, Friday 25th April.

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