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."
"There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career."
"Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation."
Sam Allardyce : "There is not a better midfield player in the world."
Jose Mourinho: “Why isn’t he playing for England? It is crazy. Only in England. Scholes is a great, great player. So experienced and still, for me, one of the best in the world in midfield. Manchester United are lucky to have him.”
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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
Alan Hanson: "He is one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League - his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone, not just younger players."
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"
"He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."
"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."
"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 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.
Fergie: "Gary Neville was having a piss one day, 45 yards away by a fence. Scholes sent a long ball and whacked him right in the arse."
Pep: "Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes – he is the best midfielder of his generation, I would have loved to have played alongside him."
Xabi Alonso: "Fans in Spain rate him very highly and I admire him a huge amount."
Xavi: "To me Paul is a role model. He is the best midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15 or 20 years."
Nani: "He’s the best midfielder I’ve ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything. And he can beat a player too, plus he loves to nutmeg you! He's unbelievable."
Arsene Wenger: "“He did not get completely what he deserves as a player because he’s not a “media lion”. He’s not one who runs after the media to be in the papers. I respect that."
Ian Holloway: "When he passes the ball it stays passed. The ball goes exactly where he wants it to. I have always loved him for that. I played against him once or twice and he is an absolute genius. He is a role model for anyone who wants to play football. He is a joy to watch. In fact, I wish he was 21, then I could see his career all over again."
Joey Barton Just heard Paul Scholes has retired, best I've ever played against by a mile. Most technically gifted player in english history. Legend
GiuseppeRossi22: One of the greats in his position has retired. Was an honor playing with Paul Scholes.. #RespectForALegend
Quote:
After the final whistle on Saturday, Xavi, Messi, Pedro, Iniesta and Busquets all wanted to swap shirts with Scholes, so they drew straws and Iniesta won and got to swap with him. There is a lot of talk about him retiring so they were feeling like it could be the last time they play against him.
Also, the same story says that Busquets had hung on to the match ball and gave it to Scholes. For players like the 5 mentioned, and the esteem people hold them in, to take time out of their celebrations says a lot. It shows the class and humility of the Barca players for starters. But it also says a lot about the esteem that Scholes is held in amongst his peers and those who have played against him.
Xavi's quote earlier this year backs that up too:
"A role model. For me, and I really mean this, he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. He's spectacular, he has it all, the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him."
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."
"There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career."
"Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation."
Sam Allardyce : "There is not a better midfield player in the world."
Jose Mourinho: “Why isn’t he playing for England? It is crazy. Only in England. Scholes is a great, great player. So experienced and still, for me, one of the best in the world in midfield. Manchester United are lucky to have him.”
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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
Alan Hanson: "He is one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League - his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone, not just younger players."
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"
"He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."
"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."
"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 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.
Fergie: "Gary Neville was having a piss one day, 45 yards away by a fence. Scholes sent a long ball and whacked him right in the arse."
Pep: "Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes – he is the best midfielder of his generation, I would have loved to have played alongside him."
Xabi Alonso: "Fans in Spain rate him very highly and I admire him a huge amount."
Xavi: "To me Paul is a role model. He is the best midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15 or 20 years."
Nani: "He’s the best midfielder I’ve ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything. And he can beat a player too, plus he loves to nutmeg you! He's unbelievable."
Arsene Wenger: "“He did not get completely what he deserves as a player because he’s not a “media lion”. He’s not one who runs after the media to be in the papers. I respect that."
Ian Holloway: "When he passes the ball it stays passed. The ball goes exactly where he wants it to. I have always loved him for that. I played against him once or twice and he is an absolute genius. He is a role model for anyone who wants to play football. He is a joy to watch. In fact, I wish he was 21, then I could see his career all over again."
Joey Barton Just heard Paul Scholes has retired, best I've ever played against by a mile. Most technically gifted player in english history. Legend
GiuseppeRossi22: One of the greats in his position has retired. Was an honor playing with Paul Scholes.. #RespectForALegend
Quote:
After the final whistle on Saturday, Xavi, Messi, Pedro, Iniesta and Busquets all wanted to swap shirts with Scholes, so they drew straws and Iniesta won and got to swap with him. There is a lot of talk about him retiring so they were feeling like it could be the last time they play against him.
Also, the same story says that Busquets had hung on to the match ball and gave it to Scholes. For players like the 5 mentioned, and the esteem people hold them in, to take time out of their celebrations says a lot. It shows the class and humility of the Barca players for starters. But it also says a lot about the esteem that Scholes is held in amongst his peers and those who have played against him.
Xavi's quote earlier this year backs that up too:
"A role model. For me, and I really mean this, he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. He's spectacular, he has it all, the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him."
