There was a time when players weren’t rotated or rested and teams played the best 11 week in week out. The only time that players didn’t play was when they were injured, suspended or dropped (not selected)!

Scholes, Beckham, Keane, Giggs and Teammates Celebrate goal.

During that period, not so long ago, from about 1998 through 2001, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson trotted out the same starting midfield, of David Beckham on the right, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane in the middle with Ryan Giggs on the left. Game in and game out the same midfield four, with Nicky Butt thrown in covering the centre midfield slot during suspensions and injuries for good measure.

All four had different traits that complimented each other perfectly and together the whole was immensely more greater than the sum of the individual parts, (& the individual parts were quite good I might add). Roy Keane was at the peak of his powers, snarling and cajoling, threatening both opposition and his own teammates, while storming up and down the field goal box to goal box. At this time he was probably the most dominate player in the league, absolutely dominating things both offensively & defensively, Arsenal’s Patrick Viera was probably the only player that came close to matching Keane’s prowess.

A youngish Ryan Giggs, was at the peak of his dribbling powers an absolute dynamo on the wing. This was the year he scored that great FA cup goal vs Arsenal dribbling the length of the field. If he was something other than Welsh, who knows what accolades he would have gotten. While Paul Scholes, even then, was a World Class player, and probably one of the finest English Center midfielder to come out of England, (better than Steven Gerard & Frank Lampard). And then there’s the much maligned David Beckham, ironically, probably the least talented of them all, but while at the height of his career, he was  a very very good player. Now he does get a lot of flack, but this is the David Beckham before the hype, before he became a pin up boy, Mega star and the advertisers dream. This is time when he was just a footballer, and a very good one at that. Extremely hard working, who both defended and attacked well with equal venom, technically & tactically proficient and then of course, he possessed that incredible ability to strike a ball on free kicks & crosses.

During that run this Manchester United midfield four (five) absolutely dominated the European game. They won 3 straight Premier league championships, with the Champions League Trophy success, sandwiched in between in 1999 as the pinnacle of their success.

As a testament to their powers some ten plus later, Scholes and Giggs are still providing great service to Manchester United, while David Beckham is back with a top European club (PSG) after a stint in America with the LA Galaxy while having a spells with Real Madrid and a loan with AC Milan. All four have had great careers winning numerous titles, accolades and championships.

Are David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane & Ryan Giggs; the Best English Premier League Midfield Four Ever???