Man Utd Legend Opens Up On Being ‘Made To Feel Different’ Due To Race
Ryan Giggs has opened up about his mixed-race background with his father Danny, who is black, and mother Lynne, who is white while living in Manchester.
Ryan Giggs, who won 13 Premier League titles with United and is the current manager of Wales, was born in Cardiff in 1973 and moved to Greater Manchester in 1980 with his father Danny Wilson, who is black, and his mother Lynne Giggs, who is white.
Wilson had signed for rugby league side Swinton and it was at this time in Giggs’ life that he suffered abuse from school children.
The 46-year-old has rarely spoken about his race in the past but has taken part in a programme to be shown on ITV Wales called ‘Can I Be Welsh And Black?’
When asked to describe the first time he was made to feel “different”, Giggs shared how the high profile of his father impacted him.
“I didn’t experience anything in Cardiff,” he told ITV Wales.
“I was seven, so I can’t remember a lot before that. It wasn’t until I moved to Manchester.
“Where I lived, my dad was very well known, because he was such a good player.
“He was probably the best player in the team in that town.
“As you can guess, to look at me, you wouldn’t think my dad was black.
“But obviously everyone knowing that was my dad, and my dad quite clearly being black, that’s really when I sort of experienced the first time.
“Which was a bit weird, because I’d never experienced that before.”