Paul Scholes
Central Midfielder · Manchester United · England
About Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is the midfielder that the greatest players in the world — Zidane, Xavi, Iniesta — have all described as the best of their generation. Modest, media-shy, and entirely devoted to Manchester United, he spent 20 years at Old Trafford without ever giving a television interview. His passing range was unmatched; his long-range shooting was thunderous; his vision operated several moves ahead of anyone else on the pitch.
Paul Scholes's story
Salford's Quiet Genius
Scholes grew up in Langley, Salford, and joined United's youth academy alongside Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, and Phil Neville — the Class of '92. He was the most naturally gifted of them all, yet the least interested in celebrity. He never gave a TV interview during his playing career.
The Unsung King
Sir Alex Ferguson said Scholes was the finest player he ever managed — above Cantona, above Beckham, above everyone. Zinedine Zidane and Xavi Hernández have both called him the best midfielder of his generation. His ability to control a game's tempo from deep, to open up defences with a single pass, was peerless.
Retirement and Return
Scholes retired aged 36 in 2011, then returned six months later because United needed him. He played one more full season, retiring definitively at 38 in 2013. He has occasionally managed — briefly at Oldham Athletic in 2019 — but has generally avoided the spotlight. He lives quietly in Oldham.
Did you know?
- 👑 Zinedine Zidane, Xavi Hernández, and Andrés Iniesta have all publicly named Scholes as the greatest midfielder they played against. No other English player has received this from three such sources.
- 📺 He never gave a single television interview during his entire playing career at Manchester United — one of the most unusual media policies of any top footballer.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Claire Froggatt in 1999; they have three children: Arron, Alicia, and Will. He never left his roots, settling permanently in Oldham near where he grew up.
- 🎯 He scored 155 goals for Manchester United — the most by any midfielder in the club's history, including thunderous long-range efforts that became his trademark.
- 🏆 He won 11 Premier League titles with Manchester United — more than any other player in the club's history, alongside Ryan Giggs.
- 🌟 Sir Alex Ferguson called him "the best player I have ever managed" — ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, and every other United legend.
- 🟨 Despite his gentle demeanour off the pitch, Scholes received 97 yellow cards in his career — one of the highest totals in Premier League history for a midfielder.
- 🏟️ He made 718 official appearances for Manchester United across 20 years — third on the club's all-time appearance list behind Ryan Giggs and Bobby Charlton.
- 💬 When he finally gave his first public interview after retirement, it lasted 45 minutes and was described by journalists as the most insightful football conversation they had ever conducted.
Honours
- Premier League x11: Manchester United (1994-2013, multiple)
- UEFA Champions League x2: Manchester United (1999, 2008)
- FA Cup x3: Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999)
- PFA Team of the Year x6: Multiple seasons
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