Model professional proves he can be top man for his country

Soon after his arrival on the Elland Road scene he was equally as visible off the pitch as on it given a high-profile advertising campaign with the club's main sponsors Top Man.

The clothing retail giants realised the teenager had more than a talented left foot; he provided a ready-made model on their hands who could straddle the world of football and fashion.

After starring in Leeds's bold rise into the First Division, Speed was just 22 when they swiftly went on and conquered the elite as well, lifting the last title before the arrival of the Premier League in that remarkable shock 18 years ago.

Young, famous and adored, it could have all turned sour in a different direction for a man with less character and will-power, the trappings of such success historically being too much to bear for many.

It would, therefore, have been no surprise to see the Welshman follow the route of so many other hero figures and descend into the mire of celebrity crassness.

After all, one of his peers at the time, another fleet-footed left winger with similarly flowing locks, was Lee Sharpe.

A truly gifted player who never quite maintained his frightening early promise, seeing his career fall away after breaking under the pressure of life at Old Trafford, Sharpe eventually gained more fame for entering The Jungle and hooking up with a former nurse-turned-glamour model than his ultimately wasted footballing career.

However, anyone expecting Speed to similarly fizzle out would not have been aware of the dedication, commitment and purposefulness which under-pinned his character; he was undoubtedly more Ryan Giggs than Lee Sharpe.

He had ample substance as well as style as a player, a fact painfully obvious given his longevity in the sport when he set a Premiership record of 535 appearances, and no doubt nurtured in his first full season as a Leeds regular.

Back then, while Speed hugged the left touchline, Vinnie Jones and David Batty operated possibly football's most pugnacious central midfield partnership, a ruthless duo who would never entertain fragility.

Down the right was the evergreen Gordan Strachan, an uber-experienced player who taught him so much about professionalism and the benefits of looking after his body.

The year after Leeds won promotion, Speed was joined in that midfield by an equally authoritative presence – Gary McAllister – and another fastidious player who would play on well into his mid-30s.

Talking in 2006, just after Speed had notched up his 500th Premier League appearance, it was McAllister himself who summed up what made the man.

"Look at him," he said. "He's a good-looking lad in the age when football turned into showbiz, the celebrity age.

"He could have had some of that but turned his back on it. To Gary, it was always about football."

And that is what has seen his star rise so swiftly; Speed's innate love of the game – and not of its glamour subsidiaries – has seen him evolve into a promising and respected manager.

It may have come earlier than expected but the opportunity to lead his beloved Wales is something he was never likely to turn down.

Initial impressions can be deceiving; this is the walk – not cat or jungle – Speed always envisaged taking.