He was once the poster boy of the Premier League, an apparently clean-living family man who won it all at Manchester United in a glittering 24-year playing career.
But while Ryan Giggs was regarded as the ultimate professional on the pitch, his personal life off it has long been dogged with scandal and controversy.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to drop charges of coercive control and domestic violence meant that he is no longer facing a criminal trial, but his reputation remains far from restored.
It was as far back as 2011 that Giggs’ mask first slipped when he was infamously named as the celebrity who had obtained an anonymised gagging order over an extramarital affair with Imogen Thomas, the former Big Brother contestant.
Just weeks later came the tawdry revelations that he also had an eight-year affair with Natasha Lever, the wife of his younger brother, Rhodri.
Giving evidence during last year’s domestic abuse trial, in which the jury was unable to reach a verdict, Giggs admitted that he could not resist women.
Having made his debut for Manchester United in 1991, as a 17-year-old, Giggs was bound to become one of the biggest stars in the game.
Carefully cosseted by Sir Alex Ferguson, his temperament on the pitch was one of restraint and professionalism, and he was never sent off during 963 appearances, a club record.
But off the field, there were unwelcome headlines including allegations of nightclub bust-ups with girlfriends.
Relationships with celebrities such as Dani Behr, the TV presenter, and Davinia Murphy, the former Hollyoaks actress, ensured that the spotlight was often on his private life.
However, as United’s success continued, it was his teammate David Beckham who embraced the glamour, while Giggs appeared to shy away from the limelight.
Daily yoga sessions and a settled home life were credited as factors helping him remain at the top for two decades, securing a record 13 league titles, two Champions Leagues and a fortune of about £34 million, boosted by endorsements from brands such as Reebok and Givenchy.
He married Stacey Cooke, his longtime girlfriend, in 2007 and most of the headlines were about his footballing prowess.
2011: An affair odyssey
However, it later emerged he had been secretly meeting his brother’s wife, an estate agent at the time, at properties she was supposed to be selling.
She would later admit they were having sex even when she was six months’ pregnant with her husband’s child.
The affair came to light in the summer of 2011 after John Hemming, a Liberal Democrat MP at the time, used parliamentary privilege to name Giggs as an adulterer.
Giggs had obtained an injunction to stop reporting of his other alleged affair, with Thomas.
Giggs had been awarded an OBE and would go on to captain the Team GB men’s football squad at the 2012 Olympics, but the revelations had shattered the role model image.
After he was charged with domestic abuse, Giggs stepped down as manager of the Wales men’s football team in 2022. Rob Page, who replaced Giggs as interim coach in 2020, was given the job permanently after steering Wales to its first World Cup since 1958.
Where next for Giggs?
With the criminal case now over, the question is where next for Giggs?
While the door to international management seems closed for now, it is possible he could look for a job with a league club.
But as far as his brother is concerned, whatever he does in the future, he will always have a cloud hanging over him.
“He’s ruined his legacy,” Rhodri told the Anything Goes podcast. “Best career in the world, absolute world-class footballer, but no one will remember that.”
