Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown once named a former teammate as the greatest player ever - but it wasn’t Cristiano Ronaldo. Brown played with several top-tier talents at Old Trafford during his tenure at the club, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and the aforementioned Ronaldo.
While, depending on who you ask, Ronaldo is considered to be the greatest footballer to have ever laced up a pair of boots, Brown did not make that claim about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Instead, his words were directed at one of the most successful British players there has ever been.
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Wes Brown Claims Ryan Giggs is the Greatest Ever Player
The Welshman spent his entire career at Old Trafford
Speaking to the Guardian back in 2010, Brown claimed that it was instead Ryan Giggs who he believed to be the greatest player in football history. Giggs, who was compared to Ballon d'Or winner George Best in his youth, had a legendary career at Old Trafford, which led Brown to believe he was in the GOAT discussion.
"I know it is going to sound daft this but I would have to say Giggsy. Of course, you have got the likes of Maradona and Pele who were world-class players, but for me it is Giggsy. His overall game and his achievements are just incredible.
"You get one-offs every now and again and he's certainly one of them. To have performed consistently well at the top level for such a long time and stayed with one team is amazing.
"It is difficult to think of anyone else like Ryan; Sir Bobby [Charlton] is probably the only other player to compare with Giggsy."
While Giggs is rarely recognised as one of the very best in the business, he is one of just four players Sir Alex Ferguson managed whom he believed to be world-class. The Welsh wizard has more Premier League titles than any other player, with 13, and is also the leading appearance maker at Manchester United.
All in all, Giggs made 963 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 168 goals and adding a mind-blowing 268 assists, which helped him become the all-time Premier League assist maker.
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 30/06/2025.