Giggs announces international retirement

Manchester United's Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, seen here 16 May 2007, confirmed his retirement from international football on Wednesday.

Manchester United's Welsh winger Ryan Giggs confirmed his retirement from international football on Wednesday.

The Wales skipper - known as the 'Welsh Wizard' - will end a 16-year career with his country by playing his 64th international on Saturday against the Czech Republic in the Euro 2008 qualifier at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Giggs admitted that at the age of 33 he was unable to give his best for both club and country.

"It definitely helps myself, I'll get those breaks in the season, and obviously it will help Manchester United because I'll be playing less football," said Giggs, who starred for United as they won the Premiership title last season but was distinctly underpar in the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea and was substituted in extra-time.

"But it will also help Wales - I don't feel that I've been performing as well as I could have.

"Whether it was the amount of football I was playing I don't know, but I think all three parties will benefit from this.

"Hopefully this will not only prolong my career but allow me to be fresher and allow me to enjoy the last two or three years."

Manchester United's Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, seen here in April 2007, confirmed his retirement from international football on Wednesday.

Giggs, who played for the England schoolboys but opted to play for Wales the land of his birth, regretted that he had never been able to play on the biggest international stages such as a World Cup finals or Euro championships just as another United legend George Best failed to do.

"I've had such a successful time at club level but obviously that hasn't been the case in my international career because we haven't qualified," said Giggs, who has won more league titles - nine - than any other player in English football history.

"That is something I've always wanted to do because you want to play against the best players, you want to play in the best tournaments whether it be the World Cup or European Championships.

"I'm disappointed not to have done that, but many players go through that and I've been fortunate to have had such a successful career so I'm not going to grumble."

Wales coach, John Toshack, who is expected to make Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy his new captain after Saturday, wished Giggs well.

Manchester United's Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, seen here 02 May 2007, confirmed his retirement from international football on Wednesday.

"Ryan came to see me and I could see he was a little bit disturbed. I had an idea what might be coming," said Toshack.

"I would like to say it has been a privilege to have him as my captain, he has always set a terrific example to all the young lads in the squad.

"We shall certainly miss him. I think we are talking about a very special person here, 16 years on the international scene under quite a bit of pressure when he plays for Wales - probably more than when he does for his club."

It is believed that Giggs made a personal decision to consider quitting in the wake of Wales' poor display in Dublin in March when a 1-0 defeat to Ireland all but ended their chances of qualifying for next summer's European championship finals in Austria and Switzerland.

It is a shattering blow for Wales, Giggs being arguably their greatest-ever player - certainly of the modern era - and it will hit Toshack's plans hard.

Toshack would have wanted Giggs - who made his Wales debut against West Germany in October 1991 at 17 years and 321 days old which at the time made him the youngest-ever Wales international - around for his immense experience and the quality of his leadership.