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 Ryan Giggs"My proudest moments have been playing for Wales"  real 28k  Ryan Giggs"When I'm fit to play, I'll play for my country"  real 28k |
Hughes sang the praises of Giggs prior to the game after days of "will-he-won't-he?" speculation about whether the Manchester United winger would turn out for the friendly.
"He is a fantastic player at the top of his form at the moment," said Hughes.
"I think everyone is excited at the thought of him wearing a red shirt again.
"His club form is marvellous."
I'm Welsh and proud of it. When people say you
don't want to play for your country it hurts you  |
Ryan Giggs
|
The United star, who suffers from a long-term hamstring problem, has missed 18 non-competitive Wales matches since making his international debut in 1991.
But he promised to make up for the absences on Wednesday night by playing a full part in front of a 66,000 sell-out crowd in Cardiff.
Wales play Finland in the first football match to be held at the ground which was the showpiece for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Reduced ticket prices and Giggs' long-awaited appearance have increased demand for the fixture.
 Welsh manager Mark Hughes
|
The United star's grandparents live in Cardiff and he said he was more than aware of the wave of criticism about his commitment.
"I've still got plenty of family who live in Cardiff so they tell me about what is being said and who is criticising me and how much I'm being criticised," said Giggs
"Of course it hurts me because I'm Welsh and proud of it. When people say you don't want to play for your country it hurts you."
"Something has got to be sorted out," said the Welshman when asked about the club versus country situation and the number of matches.
"There are so many games in a season now, for the Champions League for me personally it boils down to an extra, say, 17 or 18 games. It's like a mini-league in its own right.
 The Millennium Stadium is ready for a sell-out
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Giggs' most recent absence for Wales was in the 1-0 win in Qatar, which he turned down because of the lengthy flight.
He insisted that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had never stopped him playing for his country but that long journeys damaged his hamstring.
But he also revealed that he had missed United's trip to Valencia last week because of the Spanish weather and the pitch rather than the travelling.
"My hamstring is fine, it's just a case of looking after it really and resting it at the right times," he explained.
Welsh squad
P Jones (Southampton), Crossley (Nottm For), Ward (Notts C), Delaney (Aston
Villa), Barnard (Barnsley), Giggs (Man Utd), Blake (Blackburn), Page (Watford),
Coleman, Melville, Symons (all Fulham), Pembridge (Everton), Saunders
(Bradford), Speed (Newcastle), J Robinson (Charlton), C Robinson (Wolves), R Savage (Leicester), G Roberts (Tranmere), I Roberts (Norwich).
Stand-by players: Johnson (Nottm For), Oster (Sunderland), N Roberts (Wigan),
Trollope (Fulham), Jenkins (Huddersfield), Davies (Spurs)
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