England legend Paul Scholes names the best midfielders he faced at Man Utd

Paul Scholes has named the toughest opponents helium faced successful the Champions League during his legendary Manchester United career.

Scholes, 50, was a cardinal subordinate successful the Class of 92 and spent his full vocation astatine Old Trafford from 1993 to 2013, winning countless pieces of silverware.

Widely regarded arsenic 1 of the champion midfielders of his procreation – and of each clip – Scholes helped United clinch a celebrated treble successful 1999 nether Sir Alex Ferguson.

He would spell onto triumph the Champions League again successful 2008 playing alongside different greats of the crippled similar Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The erstwhile England planetary besides came up against immoderate of the precise champion players of all-time arsenic United looked to predominate connected the continent.

Asked to sanction the champion 5 players helium played against successful the Champions League, Scholes struggled to constrictive his database down but focussed chiefly connected Barcelona and Real Madrid legends.

He told Sky Bet’s The Overlap: ‘I played immoderate unthinkable teams – that large Barcelona team, the Real Madrid squad erstwhile it was the due Galácticos, Juventus.

‘When we were trying to triumph Champions Leagues, those teams were ridiculous. It’s the aforesaid with England, the teams we had to travel up against similar France and Spain.

‘I’ll spell for Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Seedorf, I’m trying to deliberation of midfield players and that Real Madrid squad was unthinkable – Redondo, Ronaldo, Figo, Zidane, and Raul. 

‘I emotion R9 [Ronaldo]. I cognize he’s a centre-forward but Brazilian Ronaldo.’

Scholes did aboriginal clarify his apical 5 to beryllium Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian Ronaldo.

Scholes himself has been lauded by some Xavi and Zidane successful the past, who some complaint the erstwhile England planetary among the precise champion midfielders ever.

Xavi, speaking successful 2011, said: ‘[Scholes is] a relation model. For maine – and I truly mean this – he’s the champion cardinal midfielder I’ve seen successful the past 15, 20 years.

‘He’s spectacular, helium has it all: the past pass, goals, he’s strong, helium doesn’t suffer the ball, vision. If he’d been Spanish helium mightiness person been rated much highly.’

Zidane, erstwhile was asked to sanction his ain toughest opponent, added: ‘Scholes of Manchester. He is the implicit midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the top midfielder of his generation.’

This nonfiction was archetypal published connected November 6, 2024.

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