DBasia.news – Manchester United has a story of a long rivalry with Arsenal. It can be seen from the hatred of Ryan Giggs, the legend of the Red Devils, to the Gunners.
The four players mentioned were: Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires. Giggs dispises them for different reasons after years of fighting in the Premier League.
Arsenal’s rivalry with Man United was very heated in the mid-2000s, especially the two legendary managers, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, were still competing to be the best at that time. The competition began in 1996.
That year Wenger came from Nagoya Grampus Eight and instilled a football philosophy, and provided the foundation for the London Cannon. Wenger coached Arsenal for 22 years, while Ferguson coached for 26 years.
Man United is dominantly ahead when speaking about the Premier League title, however, on the sidelines of that dominance, Arsenal always bother them. For example, when they won the 2003-04 Premier League.
Arsenal won the Premier League without ever losing a season to be dubbed “The Invincibles”. Not stopping there, Arsenal also won 13 FA Cup titles compared to Man United’s 12 titles.
Not stopping only from the side of the trophy achievement, the players of both teams also enliven each other’s rivalry with a fierce battle each time they compete.
Who doesn’t remember the moment when the captains of both teams, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, fussed in the changing aisle and also during the match, or the moment when Martin Keown shouted at Ruud van Nistelrooy after failing to score from the spot.
Not to mention the commotion in the locker room hall known as the “Battle of the Buffet” (it is on Wikipedia). In 2004, both sides were causing a commotion in the player’s locker room and Ferguson received a pizza thrown at him from an Arsenal player. 13 years passed and Cesc Fabregas admitted that he was the culprit.
All that rivalry has made Giggs really hate Arsenal and also their main players at that time. Hate is needed to be a motivation to always look good when playing.
“I don’t like Arsenal. I don’t like Vieira because he is dirty and escaped murder (a lot of harsh violations). I don’t like Petit because he has long hair. I also don’t like Bergkamp,” Giggs told the Daily Mail.
“I don’t like Pires even though if you meet him right now he is very nice. I don’t even look at them, don’t know them, and don’t want to know them. I won’t allow myself to judge them.”
“Bergkamp? No, I tell myself he is not as good as Eric Cantona. I am not that cruel as it is not the real me. But you must have such thoughts because it is pure motivation.”
“Deep down we know. They are top players and that rivalry means everything to us. At that time (rivalry) was deeper than with Liverpool,” concluded the Wales national team coach.