Rhodri Giggs showed his true colours despite £1m affair with reaction to brother Ryan's snub

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Rhodri Giggs has put his notorious history with Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs firmly behind him. The younger sibling recently defended Ryan after he was left off the Premier League's Hall of Fame shortlist earlier this year.

United icon Giggs, who turns 52 today, won a record 13 Premier League titles throughout his career and leads the competition's all-time list for assists. Yet Giggs' achievements have gone unrecognised by the Hall of Fame following a series of personal controversies.

One scandal that surfaced while he was still playing involved Ryan's eight-year relationship with his brother Rhodri's wife, Natasha. The affair resulted in Rhodri and Natasha's marriage ending and fundamentally altered the family's relationships. Despite this, Rhodri has shown that he still respects his brother's accomplishments in a United jersey.

In September, the Premier League announced a shortlist of 15 candidates , with two subsequently gaining Hall of Fame status. The list featured seven of Giggs' former Old Trafford colleagues, with Gary Neville later receiving the honour alongside former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, but Rhodri criticised the Premier League for repeatedly snubbing his brother .

Sharing a compilation of Giggs' United career highlights, Rhodri posted on social media: "13 Premier League medals and countless goals and the record number of Premier League assists. #TheShamHallOfFame."

Despite Ryan's illustrious football career, the Manchester United icon's reputation has been impacted by various off-field scandals. He left his role as Wales manager in 2022 after being arrested on suspicion of assault.

Giggs always denied the accusations and was cleared of all charges after his former partner Kate Greville withdrew from the trial in 2023. He had been serving as Salford City's director of football but departed in September, reportedly with ambitions to get back into management .

Giggs was interim manager and assistant coach at United before taking charge of Wales in 2018. While Ryan looks to make his return to the touchline, Rhodri has stated he holds no grudge towards his elder brother and even profited financially from their dispute.

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Responding to a social media user mentioning their history, Rhodri previously commented: "Mate, it was over 14 years ago and I've got two kids with someone else and made s*** load of money from it."

He continued: "I buzz off it. It was 14 years ago and I made about £1million from it. Can't be on X and not expect a little bit of shrapnel coming your way. All part of the fun."

While some might have found it surprising to see Rhodri publicly backing his brother, his objection to the Premier League Hall of Fame does have merit. Giggs' ex-team-mates David Beckham , Eric Cantona, Roy Keane , Wayne Rooney , Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Andy Cole had all been recognised previously, along with Sir Alex Ferguson .

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This year, Neville was added to the 26-man Hall of Fame. Other recent nominees with ties to United include Patrice Evra, Teddy Sheringham, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and Michael Owen.

Giggs, a one-club man, made an impressive 963 appearances, netting 168 goals. His illustrious 24-year career saw him lift numerous major trophies, including 13 league titles, four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.

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