Ex-Tottenham and England striker Gary Lineker recalled his eye-opening encounter with one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary former Manchester United players.
Gary Lineker returned to England in the late 1980s after he left La Liga side Barcelona and signed for Tottenham in a reported £1.1m transfer fee.
Sir Alex Ferguson had been interested in bringing the 65-year-old ex-Barcelona star to Old Trafford in 1989, but Spurs beat Manchester United in the race to sign him.
Lineker spent three seasons with Tottenham and the former Leicester City and Everton forward would leave England and sign for Nagoya Grampus in 1992.
Will Ryan Giggs ever be overtaken as English football’s most decorated player?
Ryan Giggs incredible honours list 🏆
- Premier League x13
- FA Cup x4
- League Cup x4
- Champions League x2
- UEFA Super Cup
- Intercontinental Cup
- Club World Cup
- Manchester United’s all-time record appearance maker
Gary Lineker on what he felt about Ryan Giggs during a Man Utd vs Tottenham match in 1992
Ryan Giggs was one of Manchester United’s talented ‘Class of ‘92’ stars who broke into the Red Devils first-team squad at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Gary Lineker faced an emerging Ryan Giggs in his final Football League First Division match for Tottenham in 1992, which ended in a 3-1 win for Man Utd at Old Trafford.
United legend Giggs was in the starting XI for the Red Devils and Tottenham match, with Lineker scoring for Spurs late in the second half of the First Division encounter.
Speaking on his podcast, Lineker admitted that the 52-year-old legendary Welshman had a lasting impression on him after crossing paths with him on the pitch.
“I played against Ryan Giggs, obviously in my last game [for Tottenham] and one of his first games [for Man Utd],” he said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“And even then, you could see that, I mean, what a special player [he was], up and down that left side for Manchester United year after year after year.
“A lot of assists, obviously, but also a lot of goals and quite a lot of them with his left foot.”
Mika Godts scored a goal reminiscent of Ryan Giggs! Is he a player Man Utd should be looking to sign?
Gary Lineker on why he turned down a move to Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson and signed for Tottenham
Lineker admitted that he came incredibly close to signing for former United manager Ferguson, but Tottenham were able to finance the transfer in the final moments.
“I was quite open-minded about my next move,” he told FourFourTwo magazine in 2015.
“It looked like I was going to Fiorentina for a while, but then Sven-Goran Eriksson left and so did Roberto Baggio, so that option went away.
“Then Terry Venables came along and did a deal with Barcelona very quickly. Right at the 11th hour, it suddenly appeared that Spurs might not be able to do the deal, financially.
“That’s when my agent spoke with Alex Ferguson, who was keen to take me to Old Trafford. It was close to being done, but then Tottenham came back and said they could do it.
“You have to remember that the Manchester United of 1989 weren’t the Manchester United of four or five years later.”
Lineker saw out the remainder of his playing career at Nagoya Grampus before the former Match of the Day presenter retired as a football player in 1994.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
