Giggs remembers 'greatest' Best

Football pays Best final respects

Wales skipper Ryan Giggs paid his own tribute to Manchester United great George Best, whose funeral was held in Belfast on Saturday.

Giggs followed in Best's footsteps at Old Trafford as an exciting wing talent but admits that Best was the best.

"Just seeing the old footage, you can't believe someone can do the things he did on the pitch," Giggs said.

"You're watching the shimmy and you're sort of moving with him, and he was great with me whenever I met him."

When Giggs burst on the scene as a precociously talented teenager, his playing position and Celtic background inevitably drew comparisons with Northern Ireland great Best.

"When I first came into the Manchester United team, with me being a winger and playing at 17 there was always comparisons," Giggs added.

"But all I ever did was take it as a compliment because of what a great player he was.

I was fortunate to have spent time with such a great player Ryan Giggs on George Best

"The tribute the fans gave to George (on Wednesday night before the 3-1 Carling Cup win over West Brom) was fantastic - to honour such a great player... that's what Man Utd fans do.

"They're great with ex-players, they don't forget, and to see the old players, current players, to be playing against West Brom - who George made his debut against - everything was just so fitting.

"To win the game as well, everything went so well on the night and I'm sure he would have been proud."

Giggs was once paired with Best in a promotional film, an experience that the Welshman treasures.

"I was fortunate to do a video with him when I was about 19 or 20," Giggs said.

"So I spent two days with him just going around Old Trafford, going around The Cliff - the old training ground - and going round some of his old haunts in Manchester.

"They were some of the places I now go to and those were two great days and he was nothing but brilliant with me.

"I was fortunate to have spent time with such a great player and his death is a great loss to Man Utd and to football in general."