Giggs Pushes Button :: Wessex Scene Online

Giggs Pushes Button

20th February 2010
Tom Sherrington

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On Sunday 13 December 2009 Ryan Giggs was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, becoming the first footballer to receive the award since 2001.

Giggs received 29.4% of the vote compared to the 18.74% tallied by runner-up Jenson Button. Did Giggs deserve such an accolade though, or should it really have been Button’s year?

Make no mistake, sentimentality is not the reason why Giggs is still at Manchester United. It is a testament to both Giggs’ ability and professionalism that he remains a crucial part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans at the age of 36. Indeed Giggs’ performance level secured him a starting place when United faced Barcelona in the Champions League Final last May, whilst he has also started for his club against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea this season. His form shows no sign of abating and he is still one of the Premier League’s most impressive talents. He might have lost some of his pace as he’s aged but his intelligent use of possession is matched by few. Recall, for instance, his assist for Michael Owen’s goal in the last minute of the Manchester derby in September.

Before winning the BBC award, Giggs had enjoyed a large amount of success in 2009. In April he won the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award for the first time in his career. It is hardly surprising that Giggs is held in such high regard when you consider that he received a record 11th Premier League winners’ medal in May. Giggs, who made his 800th appearance for Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal last season, is also the only footballer to play and score in every Premier League season.

Giggs has modesty and maturity, on and off the pitch, which sets him apart from many other sports stars nominated this year. On the field, he does not resort to some of the more deplorable aspects of football and he has never been sent off when representing Manchester United. Off the field, he has done much charity work in his role as an Ambassador for UNICEF UK.

Meanwhile Formula One driver Jenson Button, who came second to Giggs in the public vote, was widely considered the favourite for the award. 2009 was certainly a satisfying year for the 29-year-old, with his most notable success coming in October when he secured the world championship title.

Critics believed Button’s career to be in jeopardy following Honda’s decision to pull out of the sport for financial reasons in December 2008. Fortunately for Button a buy-out by Ross Brawn in March 2009 ensured that he was able to compete that season, although rumours were that the driver had to take a 50% pay cut to continue to race.

Despite these setbacks, Button dominated the opening stages of the season, crossing the line first in Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco and Turkey. Button’s achievement of winning six of the first seven races of the 2009 season was an exceptionally rare feat, with only four other drivers boasting the same record in the sport’s history. This indicates the magnitude of Button’s success and proves his ability to consistently perform to a high standard.

Button’s victory in Istanbul in June turned out to be the last time he finished first in the season. It scarcely mattered though: his fine form at the beginning of the season proved enough for him to clinch the title on 18th October in the penultimate race of the championship in Brazil. Button’s success also contributed significantly to Brawn GP becoming the first Formula One team to win the constructors’ championship in their debut season.

2009 demonstrated Button’s ability to overcome setbacks, proving a winning mentality. It is not easy to compare the achievements of a Formula One driver to those of a footballer but Button perhaps enjoyed greater sporting success than Giggs did over the 12 months. Perhaps it was simply the public’s affection for Giggs that secured him the title, not the quality of his game over the last 12 months. Either way, Button can consider himself very unfortunate to have come second, in the year where he truly showed his worth.