Paul Scholes is one of the most admired footballers of his generation. He will retire at the end of the season.

Paul Scholes is one of the most admired footballers of his generation.

The Manchester United midfielder will retire at the end of the season, read what other players have to say about him and you will be amazed.

“If he was playing with me, I would have scored so many more.”
– Pele

“My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.”
– Zinedine Zidane

“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.”
– Luis Figo

“I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.”
– Edgar Davids

“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.”
– Xavi

“The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy – Scholes.”
– Patrick Viera

“An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being.”
– Roy Keane

“I tell anyone who asks me – Scholes is the best English player.”
– Laurent Blanc

“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’.”
– Thierry Henry

“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 his own.”
– Brian Kidd

“Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team.”
– Marcello Lippi

“Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes, he is the best midfielder of his generation. I would had loved to play alongside him.”
– Pep Guardiola

“He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League.”
– Cesc Fabregas

“At La Masia his name was mentioned a lot. He’s a teacher.”
– Lionel Messi

“Nobody else can play the way Paul Scholes does.”
– Dimitar Berbatov

“When we were in training, I used to do a lot of tricks which hardly any players at the club could do. Once I was showing my skills to Scholes. After I finished, Scholes took the ball and pointed to a tree which was about 50m from where we were standing. He said, I’m going to hit it in one shot. He kicked and hit the tree. He asked me to do the same; I kicked about 10 times, but still couldn’t hit it, with that accuracy. He smiled and left.”
– Cristiano Ronaldo

“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.”
– Gary Neville

“Best player? 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.”
– Rio Ferdinand

“I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes. In so many ways Scholes is my favourite.”
– Sir Bobby Charlton

“I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England. He’s got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him. There isn’t a player of his mould anywhere in the world. Paul is irreplaceable.”
– Sir Alex Ferguson

“At every opportunity, I wanted to play football.”
– Paul Scholes