Rhodri Giggs

I'm pretty sure Rhodri Giggs joined Torquay United in the summer of 1993 as a sixteen-year-old straight from school. He subsequently left the club, partway through his traineeship, following a misdemeanour or three. No official first team appearances.

Did he not sign under his father's the name, Wilson? Something to do with not being burdened with the Giggs name?

Thanks to all that have so far replied, assume then he never played for Torquay 1st team.

To really damage your professional sporting career with such alleged stupid behaviour is something that you will have a long time to look-back on. We released a couple of other players at the time (although reinstated David Byng - last heard of being an IT person in the home counties and playing rugby union).

I recall him being on the verge of him and possibly other YT players featuring for an associate members cup game but as above, I'm sure he never even got as far as the bench.



He certainly was here originally (maybe on trial?) before he signed his youth team papers under a different surname - I can't recall whether he used "Wilson" or "Jones". That was an exciting signing at the time - but I now would never get carried away with the signings of "big name brothers" - I'm sure Exeter had Marcus Dailly and John Sharpe (brothers of Christian and Lee respectively) and they were dross!

It must have been a lot of pressure for a young player - imagine being a fairly steady League One / League Two full-back and being the younger brother of Lionel Messi or Ashley Cole?! Surely it would be a real challenge to carve-out your career compared to if you were just from "normal" siblings?

Did he learn the tricks of the trade from Fagan Bateson whilst living in the Lodge or did he come ready qualified from living in Salford?

Danny Wilson, played for Swinton Rugby League Football Club having switched codes after playing union for Cardiff RFC.

Ryan and Rhodri were both Christened Wilson, but when their parents split Ryan took his mother's maiden name of Giggs, although Rhodri must've either not done so or changed back when he joined United as he was under the name Rhodri Wilson here. And now he's back to Giggs...

From Rhodri himself, talking when he played for FCUM...
Reckons he played two senior games for us, one probably being that Huddersfield friendly which he alludes to...


It wasn’t long before Torquay United had heard about Giggs Junior and decided to send out a scout to watch Rhodri play. They were so impressed with his performance they offered him a two-year youth-training scheme (YTS) contract.

Aged just 15, Rhodri left school and, though he admits living so far from home was difficult, he was happy to take the plunge. "It was a long way away for a teenager, but who would want to turn down an offer to play football at that level and have a chance to make a career out of it?” he says.

"I never really got chance to visit home though, but I was either playing games or training down in Torquay, so I didn't have time."

Such dedication earned Rhodri a fast track through the youth and reserve teams and into the first team. "I made my debut when I was 16, I think it was against Huddersfield and the match ended 3-3 and I did okay. I would say that it has been my biggest moment in football so far, playing in front of so many people at such a young age.

"There was a lot of attention from the press as you would expect, but I've learned never to listen to what they say, else eventually you start believing what they say when they put you down."

Rhodri played just two games for Torquay, when - still a YTS player - he left amidst uncertain times at the club. He maintains Torquay didn’t try as hard as they could have done to keep some of the senior YTS players.

He says: "I was only a first year YTS [player] but I left anyway. The experience put me off and, while I say now I regret not going back, the whole thing left me with a bitter taste in my mouth."