Ryan Giggs Omitted from Premier League Hall of Fame Shortlist as 15-Player List Is Announced
Manchester United great excluded from 2025 shortlist amid continued scrutiny of his personal and managerial history; fans invited to vote on two new inductees
Ryan Giggs has again been omitted from the Premier League Hall of Fame shortlist as the competition named a 15-player list that includes several of his former Manchester United team-mates.
The 51-year-old, a 13-time English league champion and the Premier League's all-time assist leader with 162 assists, has never been nominated since the Hall of Fame was launched in 2021. This year's shortlist features a strong Manchester United presence alongside headline names from Chelsea and other clubs.
Patrice Evra and Teddy Sheringham were nominated for the first time, joining earlier nominees including Gary Neville, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and Michael Owen. Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and Cesc Fàbregas headline the list from outside Old Trafford. Other nominees on the 15-man shortlist are Sol Campbell, Robbie Fowler, Jermain Defoe, David Silva, Yaya Touré and Les Ferdinand.
The nominees together account for more than 5,000 Premier League appearances, in excess of 1,000 goals and 44 league titles across four decades of competition, the Premier League said. Supporters can cast votes via the Premier League app and website until Sept. 15. The fan vote will be presented to the 24 existing Hall of Famers, who will make the final decision on which two players are inducted.
The Hall of Fame, inaugurated in 2021, has previously recognised players such as David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer among its inaugural inductees. Subsequent years have seen Sergio Agüero, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Arsène Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and others added to the list. The two successful 2025 nominees will be announced later in the year and will be formally inducted at a London ceremony on Nov. 4. Each inductee will receive a medallion and a £10,000 donation in their name to a charity of their choice.
Giggs's omission comes amid prolonged scrutiny of his off-field life and his brief managerial spell. Media reports and court proceedings in recent years have chronicled personal controversies, including an affair involving his brother's then-wife and a previously reported gagging order related to an alleged relationship with a television personality. He was arrested on suspicion of assault in 2020; he denied the allegations and was cleared in 2023 after a retrial was halted when a witness withdrew.
Giggs has not returned to senior management since leaving his post with Wales and currently works as director of football at Salford City. The Premier League Hall of Fame criteria require that nominees be at least 30 years of age and have entertained fans over a sustained period in the league; the final selection process combines a public vote with the assessment of the existing Hall of Famers.
Manchester United already has multiple representatives in the Hall of Fame from previous years, and the inclusion of former Red Devils on the 2025 shortlist underscores the club's continued presence in the competition's historical narrative. Chelsea, meanwhile, could increase its Hall of Fame representation with Hazard and Fàbregas, who between them helped deliver domestic successes and left significant statistical legacies in goals and assists.
Voting closes Sept. 15 and the Premier League will present the shortlisted results to the panel of Hall of Famers before confirming the two inductees for the November ceremony.