Class of 92' lads
Paul scholes
Next, the Ginger Prince, Paul Scholes. He was born at Salford, England on 16 November 1974. He played his entire career of football for Manchester United. Cited by many of footballing expert as one of the best midfielders of his generation, Scholes has also been criticised for his disciplinary record, collecting over 120 bookings in all competitions during his career and being sent off ten times.
Scholes made 718 appearances for United, the third-highest number of appearances by any player for the club, scoring 111 competitive goals. Scholes announced his retirement from playing on 31 May 2011, receiving a testimonial match, and began his coaching career at the club from the 2011–12 season onward. However, he reversed this decision on 8 January 2012, and went on to play one more season before retiring again in May 2013
Scholes represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004, gaining 66 caps and participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, as well as the UEFA Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 tournaments.
He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being spotted by a scout visiting his school, signing for them as a trainee on leaving school in 1991, and turning professional in 1993. He made his full debut for United in the 1994–95 season.
Scholes was not a member of Manchester United's 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning squad that included future senior teammates David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, but he was part of the youth team that reached the final in the following season, alongside Phil Neville. Scholes turned professional on 23 July 1993 and was issued with the number 24 shirt, but did not make his breakthrough into the senior squad until the 1994–95 season, when he made seventeen league appearances and scored five goals.
His debut came on 21 September 1994, where he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over Port Vale in the Football League Cup. His league debut came three days later against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, a game which United lost 3–2 and Scholes scored a consolation goal. He scored two league goals when he came on 10 December when United beat QPR 3–2 at Loftus Road. On 3 January 1995, he got onto the score sheet at Old Trafford for the first time with the opener in a 2–0 league win over Coventry City. He scored once more that season, in a 3–2 away win over Coventry City on 1 May.
In 1995–96, after Mark Hughes moved to Chelsea, Scholes had more first-team opportunities, standing in for the suspended Eric Cantona as Andrew Cole's strike partner for the first two months of the campaign. Scholes scored fourteen goals in all competitions as United became the first English team to win the double twice. He picked up another Premier League winners medal in 1996–97. In this season he changed his shirt number to 18, which he held for the next 15 years. After Roy Keane suffered a knee injury in late September 1997 and was ruled out for the season, Scholes moved to central midfield in the 1997–98 season this is the start where he put his name in one of the best midfielders in his generation.
In 1998–99, Scholes was a key player in Manchester United's Premier League title, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League Treble success. He scored one of Manchester United's two goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup final. He also scored an away goal against Internazionale in the Champions League quarter-final. He came on as a substitute in the second leg of the semifinal against Italian club Juventus as Sir Alex Ferguson opted for Nicky Butt in the starting lineup. He picked up a yellow card which ruled him out of the final victory over Bayern Munich through suspension.
In the 1999-2000 season, Scholes scored one of the finest goals of his career against Bradford City on 25 March 2000. David Beckham took a corner directly to Scholes, who was stood on the edge of the area, who volleyed it in to the bottom left corner of the net. A week later, he scored the first hat-trick of his United career against West Ham United in a 7-1 victory that put United 10 points clear in the top of the table.
Scholes netted a career-high twenty goals in all competitions in the 2002–03 season, including a hat-trick in a 6-2 win against Newcastle United. Scholes scored the winning goal in the 2003–04 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, and played in the final which United won 3-0 against Millwall, his last FA Cup winners medal.
He was ruled out for the second half of the 2005–06 campaign with blurred vision. The cause of this was initially uncertain, sparking fears that it could end his career. He overcame this problem through the beginning of the year and he appeared in United's final game of the season against Charlton Athletic.
On 22 October 2006, in the 2–0 victory over Liverpool, Scholes became the ninth United player to play in five hundred matches, joining Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, and Ryan Giggs.
On 23 April 2008, Scholes made his 100th Champions League appearance in a 0–0 draw away to Barcelona in the semi-final first leg, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory in the second leg that sent United into the final. During the final against Chelsea at Moscow in 2008, he suffered an injury and received a yellow card after a clash with Claude Makélélé. He was substituted in the 87th minute and did not take part in the penalty shoot-out, which United won 6–5 after drawing 1–1 after extra time.
Scholes was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in September 2008.
On 22 April 2009, he made his 600th appearance for United in a 2–0 win over Portsmouth.
On 16 February 2010, Scholes scored his third Champions League goal of the season against Milan in a 3–2 win. It was also United's first away goal against Milan. This gave United their first away win over Milan and also made Scholes the first player to score against both Internazionale and Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League. On 6 March 2010, Scholes became the 19th player in Premier League history to score 100 goals and also the third Manchester United player after Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney to do so in the 2009–10 season, netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over Wolves at Molineux. On 16 April 2010, Scholes signed a new one-year contract with United, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season.
He announced his retirement on 31 May 2011 and joined the coaching staff at Old Trafford.
On 5 August 2011, United held a testimonial match to honour his 17 years of service to the club. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos. United won the match 6–0, with Scholes opening the scoring with a trademark strike from 25 yards.
On 8 January 2012, Scholes reversed his decision to retire because of the injury crisis in the Manchester United squad and made his return as a substitute during a 3–2 win, against neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup. His trademark number 18 shirt occupied by Ashley Young, Scholes wore the number 22 which he had last worn during the 1995–96 season as he replaced Nani in the 59th minute. He made his first start in the next game against Bolton Wanderers, where he scored his first goal since returning in a 3–0 victory at Old Trafford, converting a Wayne Rooney pass. This meant he had scored at least one goal in every season in the Premier League since 1994–95.
On 30 May, Scholes signed a one-year extension with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until summer 2013. He marked his 700th appearance for Manchester United by scoring in a 4–0 win at home to Wigan Athletic on 15 September 2012. This goal meant that he had scored in his 19th consecutive Premier League season.
On 11 May 2013, Scholes together with Sir Alex Ferguson announced that he would make his second and final retirement from football at the end of the season. Scholes made his 499th and final league appearance on 19 May 2013 against West Bromwich Albion as a substitute. During the game, Scholes earned his 99th Premier League yellow card, the third most all time behind Lee Bowyer, who has collected 102, and Kevin Davies with 101.
Scholes was highly regarded for his technical skills, renowned for his accurate passing, intelligent movement and powerful shooting from long range. While Scholes, for the majority of his playing years, was overshadowed by other European midfielders at their peak such as Xavi, Zinedine Zidane, Edgar Davids and David Beckham.
Brazilian legend Sócrates was quoted as saying "he is 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." Former France and Arsenal captain Thierry Henry said, "Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything." When asked about Scholes, Bobby Charlton stated, "Paul is always so in control and pin-point accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch", whilst Italian manager Marcello Lippi remarked that Scholes is "an all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance." BBC football pundit and former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen has described Scholes as "one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League" and commented "his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone." Manchester United team mate Nani commented "he's the best midfielder I've ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything."
In February 2011, Barcelona midfielder Xavi rated Scholes as the best player in his position in the past two decades, stating "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." This sentiment was echoed by former Barcelona manager, Josep Guardiola, who considered Scholes to be the best midfielder of his generation.
The one aspect of his game frequently criticised was his tackling, which was recognised as inept by pundits, fans and Scholes himself. In addition, the potential for malicious intent in some of his tackles has been raised. However, Scholes said in an interview after his retirement that the tackles were to get back at players who had fouled him earlier in the game and his tackles led to him often being unnecessarily booked.
Recently, many including Scholes's national teammates have said that Scholes was one of the few English players capable of 'pulling the strings' in midfield, dictating the flow of game where England often have been criticised for being nervous on the ball and giving away possession.
Scholes made 718 appearances for United, the third-highest number of appearances by any player for the club, scoring 111 competitive goals. Scholes announced his retirement from playing on 31 May 2011, receiving a testimonial match, and began his coaching career at the club from the 2011–12 season onward. However, he reversed this decision on 8 January 2012, and went on to play one more season before retiring again in May 2013
Scholes represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004, gaining 66 caps and participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, as well as the UEFA Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 tournaments.
He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being spotted by a scout visiting his school, signing for them as a trainee on leaving school in 1991, and turning professional in 1993. He made his full debut for United in the 1994–95 season.
Scholes was not a member of Manchester United's 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning squad that included future senior teammates David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, but he was part of the youth team that reached the final in the following season, alongside Phil Neville. Scholes turned professional on 23 July 1993 and was issued with the number 24 shirt, but did not make his breakthrough into the senior squad until the 1994–95 season, when he made seventeen league appearances and scored five goals.
His debut came on 21 September 1994, where he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over Port Vale in the Football League Cup. His league debut came three days later against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, a game which United lost 3–2 and Scholes scored a consolation goal. He scored two league goals when he came on 10 December when United beat QPR 3–2 at Loftus Road. On 3 January 1995, he got onto the score sheet at Old Trafford for the first time with the opener in a 2–0 league win over Coventry City. He scored once more that season, in a 3–2 away win over Coventry City on 1 May.
In 1995–96, after Mark Hughes moved to Chelsea, Scholes had more first-team opportunities, standing in for the suspended Eric Cantona as Andrew Cole's strike partner for the first two months of the campaign. Scholes scored fourteen goals in all competitions as United became the first English team to win the double twice. He picked up another Premier League winners medal in 1996–97. In this season he changed his shirt number to 18, which he held for the next 15 years. After Roy Keane suffered a knee injury in late September 1997 and was ruled out for the season, Scholes moved to central midfield in the 1997–98 season this is the start where he put his name in one of the best midfielders in his generation.
In 1998–99, Scholes was a key player in Manchester United's Premier League title, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League Treble success. He scored one of Manchester United's two goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup final. He also scored an away goal against Internazionale in the Champions League quarter-final. He came on as a substitute in the second leg of the semifinal against Italian club Juventus as Sir Alex Ferguson opted for Nicky Butt in the starting lineup. He picked up a yellow card which ruled him out of the final victory over Bayern Munich through suspension.
In the 1999-2000 season, Scholes scored one of the finest goals of his career against Bradford City on 25 March 2000. David Beckham took a corner directly to Scholes, who was stood on the edge of the area, who volleyed it in to the bottom left corner of the net. A week later, he scored the first hat-trick of his United career against West Ham United in a 7-1 victory that put United 10 points clear in the top of the table.
Scholes netted a career-high twenty goals in all competitions in the 2002–03 season, including a hat-trick in a 6-2 win against Newcastle United. Scholes scored the winning goal in the 2003–04 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, and played in the final which United won 3-0 against Millwall, his last FA Cup winners medal.
He was ruled out for the second half of the 2005–06 campaign with blurred vision. The cause of this was initially uncertain, sparking fears that it could end his career. He overcame this problem through the beginning of the year and he appeared in United's final game of the season against Charlton Athletic.
On 22 October 2006, in the 2–0 victory over Liverpool, Scholes became the ninth United player to play in five hundred matches, joining Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, and Ryan Giggs.
On 23 April 2008, Scholes made his 100th Champions League appearance in a 0–0 draw away to Barcelona in the semi-final first leg, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory in the second leg that sent United into the final. During the final against Chelsea at Moscow in 2008, he suffered an injury and received a yellow card after a clash with Claude Makélélé. He was substituted in the 87th minute and did not take part in the penalty shoot-out, which United won 6–5 after drawing 1–1 after extra time.
Scholes was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in September 2008.
On 22 April 2009, he made his 600th appearance for United in a 2–0 win over Portsmouth.
On 16 February 2010, Scholes scored his third Champions League goal of the season against Milan in a 3–2 win. It was also United's first away goal against Milan. This gave United their first away win over Milan and also made Scholes the first player to score against both Internazionale and Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League. On 6 March 2010, Scholes became the 19th player in Premier League history to score 100 goals and also the third Manchester United player after Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney to do so in the 2009–10 season, netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over Wolves at Molineux. On 16 April 2010, Scholes signed a new one-year contract with United, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season.
He announced his retirement on 31 May 2011 and joined the coaching staff at Old Trafford.
On 5 August 2011, United held a testimonial match to honour his 17 years of service to the club. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos. United won the match 6–0, with Scholes opening the scoring with a trademark strike from 25 yards.
On 8 January 2012, Scholes reversed his decision to retire because of the injury crisis in the Manchester United squad and made his return as a substitute during a 3–2 win, against neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup. His trademark number 18 shirt occupied by Ashley Young, Scholes wore the number 22 which he had last worn during the 1995–96 season as he replaced Nani in the 59th minute. He made his first start in the next game against Bolton Wanderers, where he scored his first goal since returning in a 3–0 victory at Old Trafford, converting a Wayne Rooney pass. This meant he had scored at least one goal in every season in the Premier League since 1994–95.
On 30 May, Scholes signed a one-year extension with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until summer 2013. He marked his 700th appearance for Manchester United by scoring in a 4–0 win at home to Wigan Athletic on 15 September 2012. This goal meant that he had scored in his 19th consecutive Premier League season.
On 11 May 2013, Scholes together with Sir Alex Ferguson announced that he would make his second and final retirement from football at the end of the season. Scholes made his 499th and final league appearance on 19 May 2013 against West Bromwich Albion as a substitute. During the game, Scholes earned his 99th Premier League yellow card, the third most all time behind Lee Bowyer, who has collected 102, and Kevin Davies with 101.
Scholes was highly regarded for his technical skills, renowned for his accurate passing, intelligent movement and powerful shooting from long range. While Scholes, for the majority of his playing years, was overshadowed by other European midfielders at their peak such as Xavi, Zinedine Zidane, Edgar Davids and David Beckham.
Brazilian legend Sócrates was quoted as saying "he is 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." Former France and Arsenal captain Thierry Henry said, "Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything." When asked about Scholes, Bobby Charlton stated, "Paul is always so in control and pin-point accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch", whilst Italian manager Marcello Lippi remarked that Scholes is "an all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance." BBC football pundit and former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen has described Scholes as "one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League" and commented "his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone." Manchester United team mate Nani commented "he's the best midfielder I've ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything."
In February 2011, Barcelona midfielder Xavi rated Scholes as the best player in his position in the past two decades, stating "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." This sentiment was echoed by former Barcelona manager, Josep Guardiola, who considered Scholes to be the best midfielder of his generation.
The one aspect of his game frequently criticised was his tackling, which was recognised as inept by pundits, fans and Scholes himself. In addition, the potential for malicious intent in some of his tackles has been raised. However, Scholes said in an interview after his retirement that the tackles were to get back at players who had fouled him earlier in the game and his tackles led to him often being unnecessarily booked.
Recently, many including Scholes's national teammates have said that Scholes was one of the few English players capable of 'pulling the strings' in midfield, dictating the flow of game where England often have been criticised for being nervous on the ball and giving away possession.