When I watched him at OT, he mainly used to dominate the centre circle and orchestrate the play from there with a fantastic range of passing.
And players used to look for space knowing Scholes would find them.
How good was Paul Scholes?
- Thread starter Paxi
- Start date
And players used to look for space knowing Scholes would find them.
Scholes never had the hype machine behind him the way Beckham, Gerrard and Lampard did. But in truth he was the greatest English midfielder of his generation. You could say Robbo was the superior midfielder, but no English midfielder has come close to Scholes since his retirement.
Magnificent player but one who has been mythologized to an extravagant degree. I think Giggs has gone the other direction, partly due to his personality, partly due to role of the wide player effectively becoming a goalscorer first. Personally think Giggs was the better of the 2, if far less consistent.
Might be wrong here, but wasn't he suffering from an eyesight problem around that time? He was basically playing without being able to see properly out of one eye and was still one of the best midfielders in the league.
He ended up missing half a season in 05/06 where he was forced to take a break, he was back on top form at the start of the 06/07 season.
I think he was as good at tackling as any other player of his type. He just liked to leave one in on the odd player to let them know he was there, hence the fouls he would often get called for (and get away with).
Thank's for posting that. Was Scholes ever a genius. He ran the show there. If you watch the game the formation was closer to a 4-3-3 with the ball. With Gerard playing a little deeper. Rooney would float out to the left or/and Ashley Cole at LB pushing forward. You can see Scholes was even on the right side of midfield alot. Scholes did things that Gerard and Lampard could not do. Control games.
One has to wonder what the outcome of the game would of been had Scholes didn't get injured and taken off in the 70th min.
Also interesting enough it was Gerards horrible backpass that caused the last goal.
For some reason at that time it was more important for England to play your best players then play the best team. A midfield of Gerard, Lampard, and Scholes was so unbalanced. No wonder they didn't win anything.
Great reply, especially the last bit....I think people struggle to separate brand Beckham from the footballer and can often forgot just how good he was.
My post was a little tongue in cheek to be honest, more in saying that whilst he was obviously immensely talented, I can't remember Scholes grabbing a high-profile game by the scruff of the neck like some of his team-mates (Keane, Beckham, Ronaldo) or even his contemporaries (Gerrard, Essien, Viera).
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He was shiite at tackling, I'm sure OPTA will have a stat somewhere on how many free kicks he gave a way, this is one of the reasons why Nicky Butt got the call in some games
What I’m saying is he actually liked to rough players up a bit and stick the boot in, pretty sure he said something himself after he retired.
Exactly. Usually was able to beat the press, be available for the ball, relieve pressure with one-touch passing, and of course picking out passes like a quarter back. Anybody saying he wasn’t our metronome or instrumental to our success post coming back from his eye issues are seeing the game totally differently to me. And as you say, very apparent if you’re at the stadium. The team was looking for him to dictate.
Modric a good modern comparison
just class
just class
Pirlo and Modric were both very good dribblers.
When the likes of Zidane, Vierra and others of their calibre and time name the best midfield player they ever played against Paul Scholes is invariably that player. The England team should have been built around Scholes, as Zidane stated many years ago, but successive managers failed to do so preferring to lump Gerard, Lampard and Scholes together in an unbalanced midfield. Scholes was a genius, a midfield general who pulled the strings and made the plays and if Sven Goran Erikkson had allowed Scholes to play as he played for United then, with the players at his disposal, his England team would have been far more successful than they were.
Spot on assessment. Total class. Nothing more to say.
Not sure about fouls, but he's top 5 for yellow cards. He generally didn't foul much, it's just that he's remembered for his poor tackles and there were plenty of them.
I would have taken Scholes over Gerrard or Lampard at Bristol City. Gerrard arguably had the better leadership, determination and influence. Lampard was a hard working, versatile box to box midfielder with a great engine. Scholes though was a magician who could see things developing that the other two couldn’t with the best technique. He was the most exciting to watch and he had that something special about him when you watched him play.
He as unbelievable, and per his own admission he was indisciplined off the field, drinking too much, not trying that hard. Imagine if he was a machine like CR9... or rather how good he was to not need it
you forgot Ballack, fabregas, Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Vieira, Senna,
I'm not sure in which role he is top3. I feel he is pretty good in his roles without truly mastering
Fabgregas? Carrick? You are overstating Scholes importance and he does not compare to the players you are claiming. He never made our team. Keane was the heartbeat and Ferguson had replaced Scholes for Butt for large periods and even tried to replace Scholes with Veron, leading to Scholes going on strike. He is being romanticised.
There has been a bunch of players in the PL and Man Utd who have been able to add to a team what Rooney and RvN did. Even at Man Utd during that time we had Tevez, Berbatov and RvP. There has been very few in the PL who could do what Scholes did. Probably just Modric for a brief spell. At Man Utd there has been no other since.
The marginal value of Scholes was higher than no other player. He made the team, the fundmental play of the team, so much better and I have never seen a similar impact at OT. The difference between Man Utd with and without Shcoles in the time period 04-10 was so big, and if you are a Man Utd-supporter and missed that I really feel for you.
England had a player who could have impacted their national team as much as Luka Modric has done for Croatia (when will they reach a final and bronze final again without him?). For that England team that would have ment playing in finals. But unlike Man Utd, England never had the coaches with competence and failed to make use of him. A bit like Mourinho at Real Madrid who did not understand the brilliance of Modric and failed to make use of him in 12/13.
Luckily, we had a coach who did rate and understand Scholes, and made him key in the most successfull era ever for our club.
We literally watched him play for England and he wasn't the talisman you are claiming. Stop talking about Modric because Scholes was not on that level. We have 20 years of career to compare. In our best and most successful seasons he was rarely the best or most important player, especially when he played CM.
I never said that. People are just romanticizing a bit too hard. He had a few seasons post 29 when he wasn't tearing up any trees and we were ousted by Chelsea then he started to lose his vision so this is false. Vieira was still around and Gerrard was becoming the new Keane. 2007 was really the season where he excelled as a deep midfielder but Cesc was overtaking him. I wanted us to sign Cesc as our Scholes replacement. He was better at controlling games and also making defence splitting passes.
No he wasn't. Beckham was better than he as was Gerrard.
No it should not have as he was not good enough. He was level below the true talismanic midfielders. Even for United he wasn't some don in our European tournaments so I doubt it would be different for England
You lost all credibility here.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I just feel really sorry for you because you missed out on understanding the brilliance of one our best players at Man Utd ever.
Romanticised? By people who understand the game. Romanticised when he was playing. Romanticised now. By the likes of Zidane, Xavi and Pep. By basically all the players he ever played with. And romanticised by Ferguson. I think Pep just last month chose to romantihim again saying he prefered him over Gerrard and Lampard.
But not by Stacks, who just missed out.
Scholes is abit like that Messi vs Ronaldo test. If you actually think it is or ever was debatable you just dont get this sport.
It is inaccurate and borderline lies.
'Some of Paul Scholes' tackles come in so late they arrive yesterday'
- Clive Tyldesley -
'The aim for any of us at United is to become like a Keane or a Stam and play most weeks'
- Paul Scholes -
"My ideal day? Train in the morning, pick up the kids from school, go home, play with kids, have tea, get them up to bed, and then come down to watch a bit of TV. I don't get hassled. I can go anywhere I want to. Nobody stops me from going down to Tesco's. I'm recognised, of course, and I get asked for my autograph but it is never a problem. I've never been conscious of losing out on big money because of the way I've wanted to live my life. I've never turned down big commercials because I'm shy. It's just the way I've been. I did get a boot contract once. But no, I haven't earned much outside the game. Maybe it's because I'm not good looking enough."
Paul Scholes
Micah Richards : "He's always in the right position, always seems to be at the end of the box when the ball drops in. The complete midfielder - when he's fit, he's the best. Some go missing but he's in the right place at the right time. He's my favourite player of all-time, unbelievable. If you give him a chance it's a goal, isn't it?"
Glenn Hoddle : "There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere else in the world."
Terry Venables : "He’s the best one- or two-touch passer in the country. He sees the game unlike any other player."
Alan Shearer : "If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. He’s the most consistent and naturally gifted player we’ve had for a long, long time."
Eidur Gudjohnsen : "I'm more an admirer of Paul Scholes than I am of Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a fantastic player, but he has 10 other great players around him every week...Scholes is one of the most complete footballers I've ever seen. His one-touch play is phenomenal. Whenever I have played against him, I never felt I could get close to him."
Edgar Davids : ""Every one of us (midfielders) is just trying to become as good as him. Everyone can learn from Paul Scholes."
Edgar Davids : "I'm not the best, Paul Scholes is."
Tony Adams : "I really rate Paul Scholes, because he hasn't got the high profile of many of the Manchester United players, he doesn't get too much attention, but he is one very good player. He is an intelligent player, he works hard and he scores some great goals. He is not flamboyant and is a quiet lad off the pitch but he is a tremendous asset to Manchester United and to England. He has already got my vote as player of the year."
Cesc Fabregas : "He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League."
Patrick Vieira : "The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy - Scholes."
Thierry Henry : "I can't understand why Scholes has never won the player of the year award. He should have won it long ago. Maybe it's because he doesn't seek the limelight like some of the other 'stars'."
Zinedine Zidane : "My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder."
Zinedine Zidane : "Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation."
Sam Allardyce : "There is not a better midfield player in the world."
Kevin Keegan : "What United have got that Chelsea haven't is Paul Scholes. I think he is different to anything else in English football."
Marcello Lippi : "Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team - that goes to show how highly I have always rated him. Scholes is a player I have always liked, because he combines great talent and technical ability with mobility, determination and a superb shot. He is an all-round midfielder who possesses character and quality in abundance. In my opinion, he's been one of the most important players for United under Sir Alex."
Ray Wilkins : "I'm saddened because I think we as spectators, not only in this country but right through out Europe and the rest of the World, will be missing one hell of a footballer."
Gordon Strachan : "Paul Scholes has been the best England midfield player for 30-odd years. You'd probably have to go back to Bobby Charlton to find someone who could do as much as Scholes. When the ball arrives at his feet he could tell you where every player on that pitch is at that moment. His awareness is superb."
Veron while at Chelsea being asked in an interview who's the best english player : "Paul Scholes."
Peter Schmeichel : "People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is, For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed.If he is having a bad game, a team-mate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. His reading of the game is unsurpassed.He has an eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen."
Peter Schmeichel : "Still the best player in that United midfield."
Laurent Blanc : "Scholes is the best English player. Intelligence, technique, strength... all the attributes are there. At Manchester United I saw what he could do on the training field. Phew!"
Michael Carrick : "Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is."
Michael Carrick : "He is a legend and he's going to be remembered for a long time. Just to play alongside him and learn from him has been an absolute pleasure. I think he is a footballer's footballer; he has been at this level for so long. As long as he is part of us we always feel we have a chance. We appreciate the way he goes about his business. I have never met a character like Scholesy; certainly not someone who is that good."
Park Ji Sung when asked by the club’s official home page which United player he would like to see in the red shirt of the Taeguk Warriors : “It has to be Paul Scholes.”
David Beckham said that, among his teammates at Real Madrid, which included Zinedine Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Roberto Carlos, Scholes was the most admired opponent : "He's always one of those people others talk about. Even playing at Real Madrid, the players always say to me 'what's he like'? They respect him as a footballer, and to have that respect from some of those players is great."
Brian Kidd : "Paul Scholes had the best football brain I'd ever seen in a kid. Let's face it. Paul Scholes is in a class of its own."
Rio Ferdinand : "I can honestly say Paul is the best player in the England squad. For me he is the complete player."
Rio Ferdinand : "For me, it's Paul Scholes. He'll do ridiculous things in training like say, "You see that tree over there?" - it'll be 40 yards away - "I'm going to hit it". And he'll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best."
Phil Neville : "Paul, for me, is the best player in the England team. It worries teams. Speak to any other international team and they will single Paul out as England's key player. For me, he doesn't get the full credit that he deserves. He is a world-class player and deserves to be up there with the likes of Zidane and Figo."
Gary Neville : "I wouldn't swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best."
Gary Neville : "Paul Scholes is the best player I've ever played with. There's talent in every part of his game."
Steve Bruce : "He's the best player in Britain in my opinion and he has to get himself fit just before we are due to play at Old Trafford. I cannot pay Paul a bigger compliment than to say that he's the most complete footballer in the country. The best bar none."
Roy Keane : "An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being."
George Best : "To be honest I think England have lost their best player. Certainly he's the most consistent and naturally gifted player we've had for a long, long time."
Sir Bobby Charlton : "I am sorry for England because they don't have any player like him. You can talk about others but there is no one else like him. He is the best technical player England has without any question. He could have had a lot more caps if he had carried on. And if I was the manager he would have ended up with more than I did – easy"
Sir Bobby Charlton : "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."
Sir Bobby Charlton : "Paul Scholes is my favourite player. He epitomises the spirit of Manchester United and everything that is good about football."
Sir Alex Ferguson : "Very few players can do that, but Scholes is one of them - and I knew he was one of them. That's why, without question, I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England. He's got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him."
Sir Alex Ferguson : "He has an awareness of what’s happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but he’s proving just as effective from outside the box because he’s using his experience in the right way. It doesn’t matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world."
Sir Alex Ferguson : Sir Alex Ferguson gave evidence in court on behalf of one of his former trainees and listened to the prosecution barrister's list of United's top players.
"You've missed Paul Scholes - and he's my best player," Ferguson chided her.
"People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is, For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed.If he is having a bad game, a team-mate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. His reading of the game is unsurpassed.He has an eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen" Schmeichel told BBC Sport.
"You have a special chemistry with certain players," explains the Dutchman, "and with me, at Manchester United, it's with Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. Things just seem to click. What I like most about Paul, though, is that he is the epitome of a professional footballer, He comes to training, then goes home and spends his time with his family. He doesn't like all the hoo-ha outside the football, the interviews with papers and on TV. He prefers to just live his own life and he refuses to be a media object or a public figure. I have nothing but admiration for him." Van Nistelrooy told FourFourTwo
“He has an awareness of what’s happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but he’s proving just as effective from outside the box because he’s using his experience in the right way. It doesn’t matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world.” - Sir Alex Ferguson
“If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. He’s the most consistent and naturally gifted player we’ve had for a long, long time.” - Alan Shearer
“England don’t have another player like him. He could have had a lot more caps if he had carried on. And if I was the manager he would have ended up with more than I did – easy." - Sir Bobby Charlton
“Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is.” - Michael Carrick
“There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere else in the world.” - Glenn Hoddle
“When he played in the junior sides he used to have his own personal fan club that would come just to watch him!” - Eric Harrison
“I first saw him play when he was 16 – he was a scruffy little urchin! But the special thing about him was that he had the football brain to go with the talent. He had a natural instinct to make the right decision 99 per cent of the time – something you just can’t coach. Even now, when I watch academy games I still judge players coming through against Scholesy.”
Gail Millar (United fan)
“He’s the best one- or two-touch passer in the country. He sees the game unlike any other player.” - Terry Venables
- Clive Tyldesley -
'The aim for any of us at United is to become like a Keane or a Stam and play most weeks'
- Paul Scholes -
"My ideal day? Train in the morning, pick up the kids from school, go home, play with kids, have tea, get them up to bed, and then come down to watch a bit of TV. I don't get hassled. I can go anywhere I want to. Nobody stops me from going down to Tesco's. I'm recognised, of course, and I get asked for my autograph but it is never a problem. I've never been conscious of losing out on big money because of the way I've wanted to live my life. I've never turned down big commercials because I'm shy. It's just the way I've been. I did get a boot contract once. But no, I haven't earned much outside the game. Maybe it's because I'm not good looking enough."
Paul Scholes
Micah Richards : "He's always in the right position, always seems to be at the end of the box when the ball drops in. The complete midfielder - when he's fit, he's the best. Some go missing but he's in the right place at the right time. He's my favourite player of all-time, unbelievable. If you give him a chance it's a goal, isn't it?"
Glenn Hoddle : "There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere else in the world."
Terry Venables : "He’s the best one- or two-touch passer in the country. He sees the game unlike any other player."
Alan Shearer : "If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. He’s the most consistent and naturally gifted player we’ve had for a long, long time."
Eidur Gudjohnsen : "I'm more an admirer of Paul Scholes than I am of Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a fantastic player, but he has 10 other great players around him every week...Scholes is one of the most complete footballers I've ever seen. His one-touch play is phenomenal. Whenever I have played against him, I never felt I could get close to him."
Edgar Davids : ""Every one of us (midfielders) is just trying to become as good as him. Everyone can learn from Paul Scholes."
Edgar Davids : "I'm not the best, Paul Scholes is."
Tony Adams : "I really rate Paul Scholes, because he hasn't got the high profile of many of the Manchester United players, he doesn't get too much attention, but he is one very good player. He is an intelligent player, he works hard and he scores some great goals. He is not flamboyant and is a quiet lad off the pitch but he is a tremendous asset to Manchester United and to England. He has already got my vote as player of the year."
Cesc Fabregas : "He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League."
Patrick Vieira : "The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy - Scholes."
Thierry Henry : "I can't understand why Scholes has never won the player of the year award. He should have won it long ago. Maybe it's because he doesn't seek the limelight like some of the other 'stars'."
Zinedine Zidane : "My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder."
Zinedine Zidane : "Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation."
Sam Allardyce : "There is not a better midfield player in the world."
Kevin Keegan : "What United have got that Chelsea haven't is Paul Scholes. I think he is different to anything else in English football."
Marcello Lippi : "Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team - that goes to show how highly I have always rated him. Scholes is a player I have always liked, because he combines great talent and technical ability with mobility, determination and a superb shot. He is an all-round midfielder who possesses character and quality in abundance. In my opinion, he's been one of the most important players for United under Sir Alex."
Ray Wilkins : "I'm saddened because I think we as spectators, not only in this country but right through out Europe and the rest of the World, will be missing one hell of a footballer."
Gordon Strachan : "Paul Scholes has been the best England midfield player for 30-odd years. You'd probably have to go back to Bobby Charlton to find someone who could do as much as Scholes. When the ball arrives at his feet he could tell you where every player on that pitch is at that moment. His awareness is superb."
Veron while at Chelsea being asked in an interview who's the best english player : "Paul Scholes."
Peter Schmeichel : "People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is, For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed.If he is having a bad game, a team-mate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. His reading of the game is unsurpassed.He has an eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen."
Peter Schmeichel : "Still the best player in that United midfield."
Laurent Blanc : "Scholes is the best English player. Intelligence, technique, strength... all the attributes are there. At Manchester United I saw what he could do on the training field. Phew!"
Michael Carrick : "Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is."
Michael Carrick : "He is a legend and he's going to be remembered for a long time. Just to play alongside him and learn from him has been an absolute pleasure. I think he is a footballer's footballer; he has been at this level for so long. As long as he is part of us we always feel we have a chance. We appreciate the way he goes about his business. I have never met a character like Scholesy; certainly not someone who is that good."
Park Ji Sung when asked by the club’s official home page which United player he would like to see in the red shirt of the Taeguk Warriors : “It has to be Paul Scholes.”
David Beckham said that, among his teammates at Real Madrid, which included Zinedine Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Roberto Carlos, Scholes was the most admired opponent : "He's always one of those people others talk about. Even playing at Real Madrid, the players always say to me 'what's he like'? They respect him as a footballer, and to have that respect from some of those players is great."
Brian Kidd : "Paul Scholes had the best football brain I'd ever seen in a kid. Let's face it. Paul Scholes is in a class of its own."
Rio Ferdinand : "I can honestly say Paul is the best player in the England squad. For me he is the complete player."
Rio Ferdinand : "For me, it's Paul Scholes. He'll do ridiculous things in training like say, "You see that tree over there?" - it'll be 40 yards away - "I'm going to hit it". And he'll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best."
Phil Neville : "Paul, for me, is the best player in the England team. It worries teams. Speak to any other international team and they will single Paul out as England's key player. For me, he doesn't get the full credit that he deserves. He is a world-class player and deserves to be up there with the likes of Zidane and Figo."
Gary Neville : "I wouldn't swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best."
Gary Neville : "Paul Scholes is the best player I've ever played with. There's talent in every part of his game."
Steve Bruce : "He's the best player in Britain in my opinion and he has to get himself fit just before we are due to play at Old Trafford. I cannot pay Paul a bigger compliment than to say that he's the most complete footballer in the country. The best bar none."
Roy Keane : "An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being."
George Best : "To be honest I think England have lost their best player. Certainly he's the most consistent and naturally gifted player we've had for a long, long time."
Sir Bobby Charlton : "I am sorry for England because they don't have any player like him. You can talk about others but there is no one else like him. He is the best technical player England has without any question. He could have had a lot more caps if he had carried on. And if I was the manager he would have ended up with more than I did – easy"
Sir Bobby Charlton : "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."
Sir Bobby Charlton : "Paul Scholes is my favourite player. He epitomises the spirit of Manchester United and everything that is good about football."
Sir Alex Ferguson : "Very few players can do that, but Scholes is one of them - and I knew he was one of them. That's why, without question, I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England. He's got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him."
Sir Alex Ferguson : "He has an awareness of what’s happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but he’s proving just as effective from outside the box because he’s using his experience in the right way. It doesn’t matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world."
Sir Alex Ferguson : Sir Alex Ferguson gave evidence in court on behalf of one of his former trainees and listened to the prosecution barrister's list of United's top players.
"You've missed Paul Scholes - and he's my best player," Ferguson chided her.
"People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is, For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed.If he is having a bad game, a team-mate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. His reading of the game is unsurpassed.He has an eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen" Schmeichel told BBC Sport.
"You have a special chemistry with certain players," explains the Dutchman, "and with me, at Manchester United, it's with Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. Things just seem to click. What I like most about Paul, though, is that he is the epitome of a professional footballer, He comes to training, then goes home and spends his time with his family. He doesn't like all the hoo-ha outside the football, the interviews with papers and on TV. He prefers to just live his own life and he refuses to be a media object or a public figure. I have nothing but admiration for him." Van Nistelrooy told FourFourTwo
“He has an awareness of what’s happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but he’s proving just as effective from outside the box because he’s using his experience in the right way. It doesn’t matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world.” - Sir Alex Ferguson
“If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. He’s the most consistent and naturally gifted player we’ve had for a long, long time.” - Alan Shearer
“England don’t have another player like him. He could have had a lot more caps if he had carried on. And if I was the manager he would have ended up with more than I did – easy." - Sir Bobby Charlton
“Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is.” - Michael Carrick
“There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere else in the world.” - Glenn Hoddle
“When he played in the junior sides he used to have his own personal fan club that would come just to watch him!” - Eric Harrison
“I first saw him play when he was 16 – he was a scruffy little urchin! But the special thing about him was that he had the football brain to go with the talent. He had a natural instinct to make the right decision 99 per cent of the time – something you just can’t coach. Even now, when I watch academy games I still judge players coming through against Scholesy.”
Gail Millar (United fan)
“He’s the best one- or two-touch passer in the country. He sees the game unlike any other player.” - Terry Venables
Might as well close this thread down, the people who know have spoken and who are we to disagree
I think these quotes from other pro's and tales of his humility affirm exactly what a fantastic player Paul Scholes was. Nothing more to say really.
People forget the truth over time. He really was one of a kind.
Yawn
Are you the same person who's had enough of experts?
Not denying Scholes was a fantastic player but if he was who those quotes said he was his individual honours will prove that.
"Individual awards are popularity contests" will be the rebuttal but how come the truly elite CMs have these individuals awards but Scholes doesn't? The easy and obvious answer is that he wasn't at the level of these players.
The quotes are great and all but what people said in real time is what counts more. Open up some threads from when Scholes was still playing and I seriously doubt he was being called best midfielder of the generation or any other OTT praise he's received since retiring.
"Individual awards are popularity contests" will be the rebuttal but how come the truly elite CMs have these individuals awards but Scholes doesn't? The easy and obvious answer is that he wasn't at the level of these players.
The quotes are great and all but what people said in real time is what counts more. Open up some threads from when Scholes was still playing and I seriously doubt he was being called best midfielder of the generation or any other OTT praise he's received since retiring.
Well I originally posted that in 2008 when he was still playing. If you noticed a lot of those quoted players were his contemporaries.
the guy won pretty much everything there is to win apart from the world cup, the euros and the uefa cup.
was he the best ever midfielder? No. But he's definitely up there in certain areas of his game. I watched him play every week and often from the stands. Man had his head on a swivel constantly and his range of passing was absolutely ridiculous. It was almost a cheat code. It's hard to explain if you never saw it but he didn't need to run and it was like he could choose the lace of the player he wanted it to land at and that was after they'd run into the space they needed to be in.
he sometimes lacked stamina and he definitely wasn't as dynamic as other players, and you definitely lost a bit of presence in midfield if you didn't have possession. Oh yeah, he also rarely lost possession. He was one of the players that you'd bet your house on scoring as well.
not a complete player but Ive never seen a player do the things he did well as well since, or before.
In all fairness you can tell I may be biased by my username... But I've tried to be objective here!
Of his generation I'd say xavi was better, Gerrard and lampard had better qualities in certain areas, particularly in physical aspects and iniesta was perhaps more dynamic with his dribbling. I'd have him around 2nd or 3rd out of that list.
the guy won pretty much everything there is to win apart from the world cup, the euros and the uefa cup.
was he the best ever midfielder? No. But he's definitely up there in certain areas of his game. I watched him play every week and often from the stands. Man had his head on a swivel constantly and his range of passing was absolutely ridiculous. It was almost a cheat code. It's hard to explain if you never saw it but he didn't need to run and it was like he could choose the lace of the player he wanted it to land at and that was after they'd run into the space they needed to be in.
he sometimes lacked stamina and he definitely wasn't as dynamic as other players, and you definitely lost a bit of presence in midfield if you didn't have possession. Oh yeah, he also rarely lost possession. He was one of the players that you'd bet your house on scoring as well.
not a complete player but Ive never seen a player do the things he did well as well since, or before.
In all fairness you can tell I may be biased by my username... But I've tried to be objective here!
Of his generation I'd say xavi was better, Gerrard and lampard had better qualities in certain areas, particularly in physical aspects and iniesta was perhaps more dynamic with his dribbling. I'd have him around 2nd or 3rd out of that list.
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You should just give up, you are entitled to your opinion but the majority disagree with you!
I have seen most of the best players in the world from the mid-70's to the early 2000's play in person and the rest since on TV, Paul Scholes was one of the best, he wasn't fancy, didn't seek the headlinesl like some and as such often lipped under the radar of those who vote for awards, the people who payed with him, against him or managed him or managed against him say he was a great player, nobody is suggesting he's the GOAT but he's up there with some of the best
Where exactly? I can show you the quote where Scholes admitted to going on strike as he was being benched again. He was often the one that would be left out or moved out of position.
A striker who then became a number 10 and then became a CM in a 442. Probably our most gifted all round player in that time, but it’s also easily forgotten that Keane was also initially an attacking CM at Forest. So both played most of their careers adapting to a role that wasn’t their first choice.
I sometimes think about our players from that era and how they’d play (in their peak) in the modern game.
Scholes and Beckham are most interesting cases.
I sometimes think about our players from that era and how they’d play (in their peak) in the modern game.
Scholes and Beckham are most interesting cases.
Those that disagree are yet to bring forth logical arguments based on facts. Many on here have actually agreed with me that Scholes has been overrated post retirement.
I've mentioned Scholes was a tremendous player but he wasn't in the tier of Xavi, Modric and Iniesta. My only issue is people putting him in those conversations when he never achieved anywhere near as much as they did.
Believe it or not he was actually one of my favourite United players but was in the class of Gerrard, Keane, Vieira, KDB.
How dare you. I fully understand brilliance. I am brilliant! Jay Jay Okocha and Cesc Fabregas (young one at arsenal before he pushed forward) were 2 of my favourite midfielders in the prem era. Scholes is just simply been overrated a bit since he has retired. I was born in the 80s and watched his entire career. Scholes spent a lot of his time pinging balls to the right wing and I don't feel he ran a game in the manner you all claim. I actually felt young Cesc did that job better at Arsenal than Scholes could. Don't get me wrong Scholesy was a great supplementary player but I never felt he was the right man to be a talisman midfielder for a top top side. Also please move on from the quotes became none of these players ever selected him as their best player during the playing career and neither did Journalists, international captains and managers. I would imagine if you ask ex players to talk about top players they are going to wax lyrical but fact is he never dominated these opps on the biggest stage. Xavi now......thats another story. He's the best CM I have ever seen.
Better than Lampard and Gerrard
Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry both said he was the best player they faced in the PL.
Zidane said he was his favourite opponent and a player he loved to watch and wished he'd have played with in his career.
Pep Guardiola has actually gone on record more than once to explain just how special Scholes was. He didn't hesitate in stating he was the player he'd have taken to Barca from our great team that went to toe to toe with them.
The videos are there people.
The best midfielder England have produced in decades. Gazza, Gerrard n Lampard are all up there but none of those were as classy as Scholes and could dictate and read the play like he could. If goals scored is your only argument then Gerrard n Lampard must have been better than Zidane n Iniesta too.
Zidane said he was his favourite opponent and a player he loved to watch and wished he'd have played with in his career.
Pep Guardiola has actually gone on record more than once to explain just how special Scholes was. He didn't hesitate in stating he was the player he'd have taken to Barca from our great team that went to toe to toe with them.
The videos are there people.
The best midfielder England have produced in decades. Gazza, Gerrard n Lampard are all up there but none of those were as classy as Scholes and could dictate and read the play like he could. If goals scored is your only argument then Gerrard n Lampard must have been better than Zidane n Iniesta too.
The same people probably made favourable comments about Lampard and Gerrard too, I agree Scholes wasn’t in the Xavi or Modric class, Kdb Gerrard Viera are players he can be compared to, he doesn’t tower above any them, even if you think he is better which is a fair opinion.
Veron was not signed to replace Keane la. S
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.da...ul-Scholes-went-strike-Manchester-United.html
He is not comparable to Vieira. Gerrard neither. These guys were the main talisman of their sides. Scholesey was supplementary