Zinedine Zidane: “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.” 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.” Patrick Vieira: “The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy. Scholes.” Darren Fletcher: “We won’t ever see another one like Paul Scholes. He is a legend and a real benchmark. He is not interested in the modern-day footballer’s life off the pitch, but he is a world-class player on it” Cesc Fabregas: “He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League.” Zinedine Zidane: “Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.” 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.” Nicky Butt: “In my opinion he’s up there with the top three or four players to play for United.” Luis Figo: “I’m star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch you can’t catch him. Off the pitch he disappears.” Edgar Davids: “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.” Ryan Giggs: “I have played with some great players during my time at United but I would have to put Paul Scholes down as the best.” Michael Carrick: “Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is.” 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.” Ronaldinho: “I want to pass like him. Who taught him how to do that?” Wayne Rooney: “The best I’ve played with, no question. His touch, passing, vision, composure is outstanding. I try to copy him.” Roy Keane: “No celebrity bullshit, no self promotion, an amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being.” 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.” Denis Bergkamp: “He’s the master.” Ryan Giggs: “I’d go for Scholesy as the club’s greatest ever player. I’ve seen him do things that no other player can do. The way he can control the tempo of games, and his range of passing, are both incredible. We’ve seen over the years that players just haven’t been able to get near him. And you can’t forget his goals either.” Zinedine Zidane: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.” Phil Neville: “I used to love seeing him receive a ball he had eyes in the back of his head he knew where everyone was on the pitch! I used to love seeing him charge into tackles. He did that in training too! But most of all every goal he scored was a great goal. Volley, header, you name it, he scored it!” Edgar Davids: “Every one of us are just trying to become as good as him.” Eidur Gudjohnsen: “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.” Jordan Henderson: “Sad to hear of Paul Scholes retirement! One of the best midfielders to grace the Premiership! Idolised him for years! Legend.” Andrei Shevchenko: “They have two of the world’s best young players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but the player who most impresses me is Paul Scholes. He is United’s most important player, he makes most things happen on the field.” Gary Neville: “Paul Scholes. The best! Great player, person, friend!” 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.” Samir Nasri: “Sad to hear Paul Scholes is retiring, great player, world class player, the English Zizou.” Lionel Messi: “At La Masia, his name was mentioned a lot. He’s a teacher.” 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.” Dimitar Berbatov: “Nobody else in the world can play the way Scholes does. The passes he produces all over the field and the way he changes the game is brilliant. Every manager would like him. But luckily he is here and playing with us. Paul practices that all the time. When he has finished training he always goes out and shoots. Ronaldo: “He’s the phenomenon.” Andres Iniesta: “Rooney is one of the best players in the world and I love watching him play. But if you had to pick out only one, then for their history and for all that they have achieved it would have to be Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs. They are two shining examples for any player.” 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.” Gerard Pique: “One of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life! Spectacular on training!! Playing with him was a joy!” 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.” Wayne Routledge: “Possibly the best midfielder the Prem has seen.” Gary Pallister: “When you talk about the greats of Manchester United, he’s up there with Georgie Best, Bryan Robson, Ryan Giggs and Bobby Charlton just purely for the amount of medals that he’s won, he’s going to be greatly missed by Manchester United.” Dwight Yorke: “When you look back you talk about legends of the game, he’s certainly up there. Twenty trophies since 1994. He just seems to get better and better. I’ve had the honour of playing alongside him. The four years I’ve played alongside him, he is the best player, one of the first names on the manager’s teamsheet. He is just a complete legend. There are not enough players like Paul Scholes around any more for my liking. ‘Legend’ is over-used but this guy is right up there with the very best.” Michael Owen: “Nobody on this planet had a range of passing like Paul Scholes. Training every day was a pleasure just watching him. Unbelievable career.” Robbie Savage: “Seriously legend is overused but Scholesy is a legend, end of!” Rio Ferdinand: “Paul Scholes retires from football….the BEST player of his generation. Fact. Loved every minute of playing football with him. Paul Scholes, aka Sat Nav went from a scoring midfielder to a dictator of the game. Changed his game while still at top of the game. Genius.” Edgar Davids: “Every one of us should emulate him. We can all learn from Paul Scholes.” Arjen Robben: “I am a big admirer of Paul Scholes, he is one of the best players of his generation.” Micah Richards: “I think we were all disappointed because we all know what he can do. 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?” Wayne Rooney: “He’s unbelievable. He’s one of the greatest of all time.” Rio Ferdinand: “I can honestly say Paul is the best player in the England squad. For me he is the complete player.” 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.” Emmanuel Petit: “At Arsenal me and Patrick (Vieira) didn’t want to face Scholes. We would avoid him.” Cristiano Ronaldo: “Scholes is the best I’ve played with and he helped me a lot when I was young. He’s amazing.” David Beckham: “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 see him as the ultimate.” Barry Bannan: “The one that stands out the most was Paul Scholes. I look up to him and was lucky enough a couple of games ago to play against United for Villa and I got his top. That’s a big thing for me because in my eyes he’s probably the best player in the world. Even now, even though he’s old, he’s still one of the best in the league.” Giuseppe Rossi: “One of the greats in his position has retired. Was an honor playing with Paul Scholes.” 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.” 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 teammate 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. 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. These days he doesn’t get into the box too many times, which is where you can see his age, but he has developed tactically. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen.” 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.” Gary Neville: “Paul Scholes is the best player I’ve ever played with. There’s talent in every part of his game.” Jack Wilshere: “Sad to hear Paul Scholes is retiring, what a player! Top class and a great role model for any young English midfield player!” Danny Simpson: “Paul Scholes the legend, best footballer I’ve ever witnessed in real life! Fact.” 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.” Dennis Law: “He’s the best all-round. A joy to watch.” Socrates: “Good enough to play for Brazil. I love to watch Scholes, to see him pass, the boy with the red hair and the red shirt.” 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.” Paddy Crerand: “What a player Paul is. Everything about him is just perfect.” 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.” Sir Alex Ferguson: “One of the greatest football brains Manchester United has ever had.” Fabio Capello: “It’s a shame he’s not available to play for England. If he was, he’d be the first name in my squad.” George Best: “The boy can play.” 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.” 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” Terry Venables: “He sees the game unlike any other player.” 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.” Diego Maradonna: “His technique is unique.” 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.” 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: “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.” Glenn Hoddle: “There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere in the world.” 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. An all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance.” Laurent Blanc: “I tell anyone who asks me – Scholes is the best English player.” 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.” Sir Alex Ferguson: “He’s one of the great players to come through the ranks here.” Pep Guardiola: “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.” 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.” Ray Wilkins: “I just love Paul Scholes. He’s been the best footballer in our division for the last ten years. He’s a a wonderful player.” 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.” Sam Allardyce: “There is not a better midfield player in the world.” 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.” Kevin Keegan: “What United have got that Chelsea haven’t is Paul Scholes. I think he is different to anything else in English football.” Sir Bobby Charlton: “I love watching little Paul Scholes, he’s so in control of what he’s doing and is always so accurate and pinpoint with his passing. It’s just beautiful to watch.” Ray Wilkins: “I’m saddened because I think we as spectators, not only in this country but right throughout Europe and the rest of the world, will be missing one hell of a footballer.” Pele: “If he was playing with me, I would score so many more.” Sir Bobby Charlton: “I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes. Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that he will find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce the decisive volley. When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore. He’s always on the ball, always turning on goal. He’s always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill.” Sir Alex Ferguson: “What more can I say about Paul Scholes that I haven’t said before. We are going to miss a truly unbelievable player.” Manchester United will never be the same :(
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 20:51:19 +0000
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