The world of sport is such that it is ever changing. Everyday there is a new face on the block. A new face hoping to make it big someday. Some do make it while the others dont.Some achieve greatness instantly, while some have to struggle to achieve it. The more time you spend in the game the more difficult it becomes to sustain one’s performance. Thats the reason why of all the great players that were and are there currently in the world of cricket and football, two of them stand out.Sachin Tendulkar and Ryan Giggs. Their journey and careers have been quite similar. Both of them were child prodigies. They both started their careers almost at the same time. Their rise through the ranks was identical. So was the blip in their careers and their comebacks too. Both of them are now in the final phases of their careers. What they have achieved is quite phenomenal. Lets have a look.
Sachin Tendulkar
Although Tendulkar was already looked at as a child prodigy in school, the year 1988 was what did it for him. A century in each of his innings in 1988, a 664 run partnership with Vinod Kambli and a net session in which he faced the great Kapil Dev. These were enough to give him his first tour to Pakistan.
Ryan Giggs
“ If you lose him you will regret him ”. These were the exact words that made Sir Alex Ferguson notice the 13 year old Ryan Giggs. Giggs even scored a hattrick against a United side unaware of the fact that Sir Alex was watching him from his window. A trial followed and Sir Alex ended up at the Giggs doorstep with a contract in hand.
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First Decade
Sachin Tendulkar
In his first tour to Pakistan he had an outstanding innings in a 21 over exhibition match. On his third tour to England he became the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century when he scored 119 at Old Trafford. 2 more centuries followed against Australia, that too in difficult conditions. Although he was doing well in tests, a century in an ODI still eluded him. He had to wait for 4 years and 79 ODI’s to get his first century. Tendulkar began to rise within the Indian cricket setup. 1996 opened the floodgates of success for the little master. First of all he finished the leading run scorer at the 1996 world cup. What followed was Australia’s tour to India in which he got 3 centuries to his name. During the 1999 world cup, he had to return home due to his father’s demise but returned back to score yet another century which he dedicated to his father.
Ryan Giggs
Tipped as the greatest prospect in English Football since George Best, Giggs made his United Debut against Everton in 1991. He became a regular in the first team and at the same time was captaining the youth team. At the end of the 1992 season he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year. By now Giggs had cemented the left wing position in the United first team.
The next 2 3 seasons he became one of United’s key players helping United win their first title in 26 years and also the double the following season. The team around him was changing as old faces were being replaced by newer ones. By the end of the 1995 season, the Fergie Fledlings had replaced the likes of Ince and Hughes.It was now time for Giggs to make his mark in Europe, as he helped United reach the European Cup semi-finals in 1996.
1999 was a big season for United and Giggs. He scored one of the greatest goals ever scored in FA Cup history against Arsenal. He scored the equaliser against Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals. To top it, he set up the equaliser in the final against Bayern Munich. Later that year, he was also awarded the Man of the Match award in the Intercontinental Cup final. 4 fruitful seasons followed where Giggs was pivotal in United’s success. When Denis Irwin departed in 2001, he became United’s longest serving player. At the start of the 2001 season, Giggs completed his first decade at Old Trafford.
Second Decade
Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar continued with good performances in 2001 and 2002. However the next 4 5 years were dominated by injuries. Although he had another great World Cup in 2003, he spent almost the whole of 2004 outside the game due to his tennis elbow problem. He was booed at for the first time in his career in 2006 and with a shoulder operation on cards, things were not looking that good for Tendulkar. Although many critics believed his career was sliding down, he announced his comeback with his 40th ODI hundred against West Indies. 2007 was a year shrowded with controversy as differences between him and coach Greg Chappell became public. The result was a dismal World Cup campaign, not only for him but for India too. He had another good tour against Australia in 2007. The next year he broke the record for most runs in test cricket, a record previously held by Brian Lara. The last few years has seen Tendulkar perform consistently for Team India. Although greats like Ganguly and Dravid have slowly been phased out, his place in the squad remains fixed.
Ryan Giggs
The next 4-5 seasons were quiet compared to Ryan Giggs standard. Having started out as a winger for United, Sir Alex started playing him in a central role in midfield. In the Champions League final, Giggs broke Bobby Charlton’s appearance record coming on for the 759th time. At the start of the 2008 season many thought that Giggs’s prime was over. But the last two seasons he has played as well as he has ever played in his career. Although he just started 12 games last season for United, Ryan Giggs was named the PFA Player of the Year for the first time in his career. This season too his performances for United have been breath taking. No one will say he is 36 year old. Just this week he signed a new contract that will keep him at Old Trafford till 2011.
Milestones
Sachin Tendulkar
• Highest run scorer in ODI’s with 17178 runs.
• Highest run scorer in test cricket with 12877 runs.
• Most centuries in Test and ODI cricket, 43 and 45 respectively.
• 71 Man of the Match awards.
• 18 Man of the Series awards.
Ryan Giggs
• Only Manchester United player to have played in all 11 Premiership winning teams and the only player to win 11 league titles.
• Only Manchester United player to have played in all 3 League Cup winning teams
• Only Manchester United player to have scored in 11 consecutive Champions League tournaments.
• Only Manchester United player to have scored in 14 different Champions League tournaments.
• Only player to have scored in every Premier League campaign since its inception in 1991.
• Second midfielder to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League for a single team.
• Most appearances by any Manchester United player.
Praises
Sachin Tendulkar
According to Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar is the closest thing to batting perfection. Shane Warne had mentioned a decade back, “I’ll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don’t think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player.” Wasim Akramonce said “Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time. Viv Richards once said “He is 99.5 percent perfect. I’d pay to see him.” The greatest praise has come from the great Sir Don Bradman himself who said that he saw himself in Sachin when he saw him bat. There can and there will be only one Sachin Tendulkar.
Ryan Giggs
Giggs was Premiership’s First Poster Boy and was also referred to as boy wonder. Greats like Charlton and Best used to reach the training ground just to watch him play. Steve Bruce once said, “when Ryan ran, he ran like the wind. You couldn’t hear him he was that light on his feet. He had that natural body swerve, that way with a ball only the great players have got. No disrespect to Beckham and Scholes, but he’s the only one who was always going to be a superstar”. Last week Sir Alex Ferguson stated, “Ryan is treated like god in the United dressing room”. There can be a new Pele and a new Maradona but there can never be another Ryan Giggs. As George Best put it…” One day they might even say that I was another Ryan Giggs”.
What makes these two so so special? Yes they do have talent. But so do many others. The difference is they had much more. Inspite of all the fame, they have always had their feet firm on the ground, concentrating only on their performances and nothing else. The humility they possess is second to none. Their love and commitment for the game has never ever diminshed during their careers. They have and continue to give their very best. They both have taken over the role of a mentor, helping and guiding many of their younger teammates, and are being looked upon as a father figure in their teams.
Sachin Tendulkar and Ryan Giggs started their careers around 21 years ago. Both of them are still performing and are at the top of their game. The journey is not over yet, the journey that has made them immortals.
