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Silent off the pitch and lets his football do the talking for him. Shies away from interviews but never from a tackle. Paul Scholes will truly go down as the best midfielder of his generation and a perfect role modal for future generations.
Well respected by his peers and loved by his fans; Here are some of the best quotes that encase Paul Scholes in a nutshell.
1. Thierry Henry: “Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is one who directs the way his team plays. On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor.”
“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.”
2: Gary Neville: “Paul Scholes. The best! Great player, person, friend! 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.”
3: Xabi Alonso: “I’ve still got Paul Scholes’ shirt at home which I swapped with him once. When I was at Liverpool he was one of the players I liked most. Maybe he’s not valued as much as he should be in England because of the style of football there and because he keeps a low profile. Perhaps he would have been more valued in Spain, where midfielders like him form part of the ‘ideal.’ Fans in Spain rate him very highly and I admire him a huge amount.”
4: Xavi Hernandez: “In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes. I have spoken with Xabi Alonso about this many times. Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything. He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn’t give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more.”
5: Lee Sharpe: “A few of us including Robbo, are watching the Youth team and we ask the boss which ones are staying, going etc. etc. So he points to them one by one, “he’s staying” he’s going.” Robbo says, “What about the little Ginger lad?” Fergie – “Well, we’re not sure. He’s got loads of ability, but he’s not the quickest, and we’re not sure if he’s a striker or a midfielder. He can’t tackle either. We’ll most likely let him go.”
“Two minutes later, Scholes runs from a deep position exposing the two centre halves, goes through both with a shimmy and dummy, feints to shoot past the keeper, who then commits himself, and gets beaten by chip over a flailing hand.
Robbo turns to the boss and says, “You don’t know fucking much about players, do you boss?”.”
6: Cristiano Ronaldo: “When we were in training, I used to do a lot of tricks which not many of the other payers could do. Once I was showing my skills to Scholes. After I finished, Scholes took the ball and pointed at a tree which was about 50m away from where he was standing. He said, I’m going to hit it in one shot. He kicked it and hit first time. He asked me to do the same; I tried 10 times, but couldn’t hit it with that accuracy. He smiled and left.”
7: Sir Alex Ferguson: “Everywhere I go the coaches all tell me that Scholsey is the player they admire. But if they think they’ll get him they’re wasting their time! Paul is a Manc lad pure and simple. He loves the club and there’s no chance of him leaving here. If ever he decided to go there would be a stampede, but he won’t be going, he’s here for life.”
8: Zinedine Zidane: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.”
9: Inter owner Massimo Moratti’s adviser, Pino Pagliara: I told Moratti Scholes is a “mission impossible” man. It’s more than money with him. He was born just a few blocks away from Old Trafford. It`s about wearing United’s colours.
10: 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.
