If you haven’t seen the exchange, it is a thoroughly entertaining watch that is well worth 17 minutes of your time. But perhaps the highlight was Keane’s look of utter disbelief when Carragher proposed including Sadio Mane at the expense of Ryan Giggs
It is pretty much impossible to directly compare players from different eras, especially when Giggs has finished his career and Mane is midway through a potentially defining season.
But allow me to have a go anyway and break down who really is the better player.
Shooting
Where shooting and goals are concerned, Mane has the edge. The Senegal international has never failed to reach double figures in any season throughout his time in the Premier League, even taking a share of the Golden Boot in 2018/19 after scoring 22 goals.
Giggs, who it must be pointed out was an orthodox wide midfielder compared to Mane’s role as an advanced wide forward, only managed double figures twice in the Premier League – 1993/94 and 1995/96. He certainly wasn’t bad in front of goal by any stretch of the imagination, though.
Passing
Giggs was an underrated passer, largely because of the years he spent lining up alongside David Beckham and Paul Scholes. His crossing was superb and later in his career he was able to more than hold his own in central positions that required a different skillset to wing play.
Mane is more revered for his high press, penetrating movement and shooting than he is for passing ability. But as was the case for Giggs on goalscoring, it doesn’t mean the Liverpool man isn’t good, but he isn’t as good. He also averaged more assists per season than Mane has.
Dribbling
You need only look at Giggs’s iconic winning goal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay over Arsenal to see how good a dribbler he was. It was what he was most known for, certainly in the first half of his career and he could run with the ball faster than most could run without it.
Mane has the speed, pace and acceleration to match, although his is often utilised off the ball, making runs that put him into goalscoring positions or can create chances for others. He isn’t a ball carrier in the same way that Giggs was.
This Has Been Tough But There Is an Answer
Sky framed the Keane/Carragher debate around a direct 1999 vs. 2020 comparison, but that just doesn’t work because it isn’t enough to determine who is the better player.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/GBUFgVoXzE
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 18, 2020
Why this is a difficult task is because Mane is still playing and there is no finite measurement. Due to turn 28 in April, we simply don’t know how long he will be at his current level for and he has only reached this world class standing within the last couple of years.
It is unfair to limit Giggs, who is the single most decorated player in English football history, to a single season comparison when his career was about so much more. By 28, he had already won seven Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League.
Even when Liverpool mathematically win the Premier League in a matter of weeks, Mane would still have to win it every single year until he’s 40 just to match Giggs’ record.
Both men are/were exceptional players in their own right. But to suggest that Giggs should play second fiddle to anyone in the history of English football, past or present, is ultimately wrong.
While Mane is better at certain things, the better all-round player is always Giggs.
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Source : 90min