paris, je t'aime. toi aussi, ryan.
Last weekend, I was back in one of my favorite European cities - Paris! And given the default Champs Élysées stroll with friends, it seems inevitable that I walked into the Nike Store and over to the section that was calling out my name (refer to: 1st picture). After which, it took all of 5 seconds for me to stop and fall in love with a simple Manchester United shirt. The last time I was in this store, I was a student in Sweden spending Christmas in Paris. And being a student, as I'm sure most would understand - I walked in, glanced around, and walked out. Jerseys weren't exactly on the top of my priority list given my nonexistent budget. And by no means am I insinuating that I am on some sort of baller status now... but I DID know that I would not walk out empty handed, and even more importantly, there was reason to celebrate.
Celebrate what, you ask? Well. That the greatest ever continues to be great, to put it simply. Ryan Giggs, at 37, has announced he has no plans of retiring this year... which is FANTASTIC news on 2 accounts.
Uno) This means I still have time to fulfill my dream of seeing him live in Old Trafford, and
Dos) Well, he's my favorite player. If I had my way? He'd be making decisive passes from a wheelchair. So yeah, I can breathe again and I'll cross the Ryan-Giggs-retirement-I'm-gonna-have-a-stroke-just-at-the-thought-of-it bridge later.
So this winter evening, I checked off another bullet point from my year's to-do list: get a Giggsy tee made. Simple, right? But I believe in moments. Everything has its moment. And given the week's retirement postponement, there seemed no better time. My unwavering love for a player who has devoted his entire career to Man United is about more than just what he brings to the field, as shown in our 5-0 demolition of Birmingham last weekend. It's what he stands for. In 20 seasons, he has shown that the beauty of success is carried with consistency... and grace.
So here's to you, Ryan Giggs, and to another year in a mesmerizing career.
