Arsenal and Manchester United’s rivalry in the 1990s and 2000s was so fierce, one former Red Devil admitted he held an intense hatred towards many Arsenal players
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Ryan Giggs admitted he disliked four Arsenal icons (Image: Press Association) Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs once admitted his hatred of Arsenal knew no bounds.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the Red Devils and the Gunners were battling each other on multiple fronts. Over the course of these tussles, there were red cards, on-pitch scuffles and even confrontations in the tunnel.
But while most fans will conjure images of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira being separated from each other, the mutual dislike of the two clubs extended to all the players in each squad.
So much so that Giggs would feel angry every time he saw an Arsenal player. On the pitch, the Welshman was one of the cooler heads in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Yet, a quiet fury would bubble up inside him when he saw some of Arsene Wenger’s biggest stars.
Particularly, when he laid eyes on Emmanuel Petit, Dennis Bergkamp, Vieira and Robert Pires.
In a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Giggs said: “I didn’t like Arsenal. I didn’t like Vieira because he was dirty and got away with murder. I didn’t like Petit because he had long hair. I didn’t like Bergkamp.
“I didn’t like Pires even though when you meet him now he’s actually dead nice. I wouldn’t even look at them, didn’t know them and didn’t want to.
“I wouldn’t allow myself to rate any of them. Berkgamp? Nah, I told myself he wasn’t as good as Eric Cantona. I wasn’t really that kind of person. It wasn’t really me
Giggs’ wondergoal is still talked about today (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) “But you had to get that in your head, that intense dislike. It was pure motivation. But deep down we knew they were top-drawer and that rivalry was everything to us. Deeper even than Liverpool at that time.”
Giggs had his fair share of standout moments against Arsenal, but none are more iconic than his extraordinary solo goal during the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay’s extra-time winner. He dribbled the ball from his own half, beat three Arsenal players and smacked an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net.
Reflecting on that unforgettable strike, Giggs said: “I kept giving the ball away. So I went back to instinct. I ran. At the time I thought the goal was OK. Only later did I realise how far out I was when I got the ball.”
