Page 3 Profile: Ryan Giggs, footballer

Ryan Giggs, footballer (PA)

He’s been keeping a low-profile of late…

He has, but the evergreen Manchester United star turns 40 today – though the family celebrations could be a bit awkward…

How come?

Well I’m not sure there will be a card in the post from his brother Rhodri after the whole affair-super-injunction fiasco.

Remind me what happened? I didn’t want to read too much into it in case I was breaking the law…

Well in fact the injunction wasn’t actually for that alleged affair. In 2011, there were rumours about a footballer who had an injunction out over an affair with model Imogen Thomas. Only serving to further publicise his actions in the end, his face was put on the front page of a Scottish paper, his name plastered all over Twitter and he was even named in the House of Commons by a Lib Dem MP. It was then alleged that Giggs, married with two kids, had also been having an affair with his brother’s wife. For eight years.

No wonder he’s been pretty quiet for a while. So has he got anything planned to mark the big 4-0?

He’s already had a low-key celebration at his soon-to-open restaurant in London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre, where a football pitch-shaped cake seemed to be the biggest attraction. Today will be strictly business as Manchester United prepare to meet Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday – as well as being the team’s most senior player, Giggs is also a coach.

It is pretty incredible he’s still playing and at such a high level. Will Giggs retire any time soon?

He’s still not set a date for hanging up the boots, and refuses to rule out the possibility of making 1,000 match appearances – he’s currently on 953. Having made his first team debut in 1991 aged 17, Giggs has been a permanent fixture in the Manchester United squad ever since. He has outlasted the rest of United’s famous “Class of 1992”, including Paul Scholes and David Beckham, both of whom retired at the close of the 2012/13 season aged 38.

Amazing. How has he done it?

Yoga apparently. Haven’t you seen Giggs Fitness: Power and Strength through Yoga?

Must have missed that one.

You know what to ask Santa for this year then...