Out of all the 35 major honours he accumulated in 24 memorable seasons with the club, the 1999 Intercontinental Cup and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup winner’s medals prove that the Red Devils were the finest team on the planet.
In an interview with FIFA.com seven years to the day that he and the Manchester United squad touched down in Tokyo, Giggs is adamant the Club World Cup is one of the hardest tournaments to qualify for and to win.
“Even though it’s called the Club World Cup, European players might see the Champions League final as bigger. But is it actually? To win it, you have to do so much and you’re coming up against a team, usually a team from South America, who definitely want it.
“They realise how big it is and it’s their chance to beat the champions of Europe. So, it’s a massive challenge. For us, I think even the players weren’t aware of how big it was before.
“Once we got over there, Sir Alex (Ferguson) drilled into us. He told us that United had never won it, and we could be the first. If the lads didn’t already know how big the game was, he made sure everyone knew.
When asked how a dressing room feed off a manager’s desire to win, Giggs said it was extremely important.
“On that occasion, Sir Alex definitely honed in a lot more about how important this was for not only Manchester United, but for English football as well. He stressed the need to be crowned world champions saying, ‘There’s not many teams who’ve had this chance. You might not get this chance again, so make sure you win it.’ That really hit home.
Giggs tasted success twice in Tokyo, once for the 1999 Intercontinental Cup and at the FIFA Club World Cup eight years later. Both were 1-0 wins.
“Against Palmeiras in 1999 for large parts of the match they were the better team. They definitely were before Roy Keane scored. After the goal, we dominated and we could have scored a couple more. I was man of the match, but I don’t think I deserved it. Mark Bosnich saved us on a couple of occasions!
“After we beat Liga de Quito in 2008, I could take it in a lot more. In many ways, you could compare it to the joy I felt after winning the Champions League for the second time. I got a lot out of seeing the euphoria of the other players. There was a bigger realisation of what we achieved. It was an unbelievable feeling.”
Giggs says he enjoys going to Japan. “I think it’s always good to experience different cultures. But in Japan, there’s obviously a lot of Manchester United fans which helps! But for the players, the training facilities and stadiums are very good. Things are always well organised and the atmosphere when you play is great.”
When asked about playing with jetlag Giggs says the last Club World Cup was the worst he had ever experienced.
“I was living on two or three hours sleep a night. I would get up at three in the morning, thinking I was the only one affected, and would go down to the players’ leisure room to practice playing pool. But regularly when walking down the corridor, I’d hear balls going in the pockets. There’d be four or five of the lads in there too!
As an assistant coach to Man United now, Giggs knows what advice he would give to clubs going to compete at the Club World Cup.
“Because you don’t usually come across the teams you’re playing against, the analysis of the other teams is really important. You need to know how they’re going to play, because you won’t know most of the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.
“So the staff have to do their job, but the players really just need the message that Sir Alex gave us; that they might not get this chance again. It is so hard to qualify for a Champions League, let alone win one. So, you’ve got to make the most of it.”
Source – African News Agency (ANA)
