The Rise and Rise of Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs may be 35 years old, but he sure doesn't play like it. On Wednesday, in Manchester United's Champions League game, the winger continued to exhibit his quality as he led the Red Devils to a comeback victory over Wolfsburg, and in the process reminded us all that he is still one of the world's best players.

To be fair, Giggs was one of many outstanding performers for Manchester United. Wayne Rooney showed off his usual mix of strength and skill at the top of the attack. Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench and injected life into the squad, dropping back to create numerous scoring opportunities for teammates. Anderson controlled possession in the central midfield throughout the evening, skillfully joining the attack when needed -- the Brazilian won the free kick that led to United's equalizer. And Michael Carrickstruck a fantastic curling shot to win the game 2-1. In short, it was a brilliant team effort by manager Alex Ferguson's men.

But, in my opinion, Giggs deserves the most praise due to his involvement in seemingly every dangerous opportunity created by United.

When Wolfsburg went up 1-0 early in the second half (through an Edin Dzeko goal), it was Giggs who led United's charge in search of an equalizer, getting past defenders, whipping crosses into the box and tracking back into his own half to restart attacks.

After falling behind to the Germans, it took United four minutes to draw level as Giggs found the back of the net on a set piece that took a fortuitous bounce off of a Wolfsburg defender. Fifteen minutes later, Giggs relied on pure skill and vision, not luck, to find Carrick with a simple yet perfect pass, which Carrick struck home brilliantly. Game United.

Since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, much has been made of Rooney's becoming the centerpiece of this still-talented team. Rooney has been equal to the task, scoring six goals in seven Premier League games. But in recent games, Giggs has become the backbone of the squad, serving as the critical link between the midfield and the attack. At the start of the season this responsibility had fallen on Portuguese international Nani. But Nani's struggles left the door open for Giggs, who has stepped into the role and played some of the best soccer of the season.

What I find most impressive about this Manchester United team is that it still plays very attractive soccer despite the heavy losses it suffered this summer. This is a credit to the system developed by Sir Alex Ferguson, but also to players like Giggs who have filled significant voids left by Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

Against Wolfsburg, United's attacking skill was best exhibited in a Giggs-led buildup that took place midway through the second half. With the score tied 1-1, the winger dispossessed a Wolfsburg player in the midfield. Then, advancing the ball diagonally, from left to right, he initiated a brilliant series of overlapping, triangular exchanges between himself, Antonio Valencia, Berbatov, Anderson, Rooney and Carrick. The buildup was a superb combination of short passes and off-ball movement, and almost yielded the go-ahead score for the Red Devils.

So while there are plenty of entertaining games across Europe this weekend, I will be sure to tune in to United's Saturday fixture against Sunderland to see if the Welshman will continue to delight.