Paul Scholes: A Special Player & A Footballing Legend

A footballing legend has retired today. A legend who has been praised by some of the best because he is one of the best. Nothing and no one can take away from the fact that Paul Scholes, the now former Manchester United midfielder has been a sensation at Old Trafford, and anyone who has had the privilege to play alongside him, play against him or even see him in action should count themselves very, very lucky because this man is one of the greats.

Described as the "complete footballer" by Zinedine Zidane, a "role model" by Xavi, and "the best" by Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Edgar Davids, Laurent Blanc, Pep Guardiola and Nani, you really do get the feeling straight away that he is a special player. He may not have developed the ability to tackle over his 17 years as a Manchester United professional, but with his stunning passing quality and precision, super natural vision and devastating shot accuracy and power, you can forgive him.

When you look at his career highlights, of which there are many in abundance, you get the feeling that you are witnessing something like magic. He can pick a man out from anywhere on the football pitch, he can spot a through ball that any one else who think of as impossible, and he can keep the ball like it is his life objective to not let it go. Sometimes words are not enough for a player like this.

It is sad to see such a fantastic footballer retire when many believe that he could go on so easily for a few more years and show up countless of players so much younger and quicker than him, but it was very fitting in my opinion that his last game in a Manchester United shirt came against Barcelona.

It was of course hugely disappointing that his career could not end on a perfect high note of lifting his third Champions League trophy, but when you look at the players in the Barcelona team and notice how much they admire the man, you can see why going out to Barcelona was so appropriate.

When the Spanish midfield maestro Andres Iniesta goes out of his way to ask for your shirt because he is afraid that your last game has been played, you know your different - superior to the rest. Iniesta averages 2075 passes per season when the average a player is only 658, and with a success rate in those 2075 passes of 93.7% last season, it is easy to see why Scholes is held in such high regard.

In just 19 games for Manchester United this season, 13 being starts, Scholes managed an amazing 1348 passes with a success rate of 90.4% - at the age of 36! It really is unbelievable, and playing his last game against the pair of midfielder's in Xavi and Iniesta who have seen Scholes as their role model really is a fantastic tribute to him.

17 seasons at Manchester United, 675 appearances, 150 goals, 24 trophies, and a huge impact on the world of football, this shy, humble 36 year old man has made a big name for himself all over the world, letting his football do all of the eloquent and articulate talking. Thank you Paul Scholes.

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The Legend of Paul Scholes

It may sometimes be hard to believe that in Paul Scholes's 17 seasons in the Manchester United first team, he has amassed an amazing 10 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League trophies and won 3 FA Cups among many other awards. 675 appearances and 150 goals for one of the biggest and best clubs in the world is not bad going at all, and along with his stunning passing, sensational vision and intelligence on the field he has received countless plaudits. From team mates to footballing legends, Scholes really has attracted huge appreciation. Not that Scholes listens to it, in 2010 he said:

"I try to ignore the plaudits. It is nice for people to say positive things but I just put it to one side and concentrate on the next game."

What a player he is. The mini clip above shows just a fraction of the maestros considerable talents and with his career unfortunately drawing to a close with talk of retirement constant, I looked back on the players, managers and footballing legends who have heaped praised on this man's shoulders.

Ryan Giggs

"I have played with some great players during my time at United but I would have to put Paul Scholes down as the best.”

Sir Bobby Charlton

"Paul is always so in control and pin-point accurate with his passing—a beautiful player to watch."

Zinedine Zidane

“There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own." 

“He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get." 

“One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.”

Michael Carrick

"Paul Scholes is just fantastic."

"When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is. He is so intelligent and clever, he makes the game look really simple and showed it against Celtic by creating two goals."

"Believe me, it is a pretty hard skill to be able to slot people through gaps when everything is going on around you. Paul can do that and I felt he was the big difference between the teams." 

Thierry Henry

“For me the best player, and every time we used to play against Manchester United, we always used to be scared of Paul Scholes. For me, he was the best I have seen in the Premiership in the middle of the park."

“His vision, the way he sees the game, his goals ratio...a bit more now obviously, because we all, you know have to stop one day...but his goal ratio, his vision, he could put his foot in, whatever you wanted."

“I’m also a big fan of Steven Gerrard but for me, Paul Scholes was amazing.”

Xavi

"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."

"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." 

Edgar Davids

“I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is. We can all learn from Paul Scholes.”

Marcello Lippi

“Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team — that is how highly I have always rated him." 

“An all-round midfielder with quality and character in abundance.”

Laurent Blanc

"I tell anyone who asks me — Scholes is the best English player.”

Peter Schmeichel

“His reading of the game is unsurpassed. He has the best eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have."

“He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen.”

Sir Alex Ferguson

"He's one of the great players to come through the ranks here."

Pep Guardiola

"Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes – he is the best midfielder of his generation."

"I would have loved to have played alongside him."

Nani

"He’s the best midfielder I’ve ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything."

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VIDEO: Sir Alex and The "Stupid Question"

Sir Alex Ferguson is routinely thrust in front of the worlds media after games to answer questions from the journalists, and so over the 25 years he has been at Manchester United, you can imagine a good few questions have been asked of him. None though, were more "stupid" in his opinion than the one shown in the video below. 

A reporter asked who Sir Alex would sign from the Barcelona side which beat his on Saturday if he was given a blank cheque from the United owners in the summer. Basically, who would Sir Alex have from the Barcelona side if he could have only one. With the choice from the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and so on, the players regarded as the best in the world, Sir Alex ironically said "Mascherano", drawing laughs from his audience. 

The Manchester Untied manager was understandably frustrated after seeing his team beaten convincingly in the biggest game of his and United's season, so a question like that only tests his patience more. Whether planned or not, humour takes your mind off tough situations and is a tonic for mind and body. It is a tonic needed after that loss. 

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Arsenal Outplayed & Dominated by Relentless Barca

Watch Goals Here
Barcelona achieved 76% of possession against Arsenal. Need I continue?

When Barcelona have the ball and keep it, which they do tenaciously and in apparent ease, the opposition has very little chance of getting anything from the game. Arsenal attempted not a single shot on target. Not one. The utter dominance of Barcelona in all areas of the pitch meant that the absence of their two centre halves, Puyol and Pique was irrelevant in an easy win for the classy Spanish side (I use classy very loosely with Dani Alves, but more on that later).

Arsenal may say that they were hard done by, with a red card brandished to the hard of hearing Rob van Persie early in the second half as he shot wide after the whistle had gone for offside. His pleas that he could not hear the whistle due to the 95,000 screaming fans - a good defence - fell on deaf ears, and the referee decided to show the second yellow in an extremely harsh move which all but ended any fair competitiveness in the painfully one sided match.
Van Persie complained after the match of his red card:

"I think it was a total joke. How can I hear his whistle with 95,000 people jumping up? How can I hear it? Please explain that?"

"I can't understand the view from the ref. One second from his whistle to my shot is a joke. He has been bad all evening. He was against us. I don't know why he was here tonight, it's a joke.

"We feel betrayed, almost. We tried really hard. When it was 1-1 it was all to play for. But, in my opinion, the ref killed the game."

Even so, Arsenal were being controlled, pinned back, outplayed before the sending off, and if anything, Arsenal spent more time in the Barcelona half after the Dutchman's sending off. It was simply a story of the better side winning; I have never seen a game so one sided in possession and chances in the Champions League.

The first goal was inevitable. Wojciech Sczcesny went off early on after his first save of the game injured his finger. Almunia came on, and had a good game - probably Arsenal's best player, but he could do nothing to stop Messi from dinking the ball over him and swiping it into the back of the net for the opener.

In between the action, there was the odd pathetic dive. Diving infuriates me beyond belief, the replays shown on Sky making my fists clench in anger and jaw tighten in utter fury. Although so many footballers are at fault in this department, Dani Alves is one that so many times throws himself to the floor, clutching some part of his body - any part of his body all to con the referee. He gets away with it too. Maddening.

Arsenals goal was scored by Busquets - from a Nasri corner. Perhaps he felt sorry for them, wanted to give them a fighting chance - something to work with and hold on to. Probably not. But for all the intricate passing from Barcelona, their beautiful football was countered by a simple ball into the box, headed into their own net by their own player. A little ironic.

But Barcelona fought back with their wonderful football. Intricate passing, great vision, umarkable movement, all leavin Arsenal defenders on their rear ends, as the tricks and turns left them flat footed. Carved open, Xavi passed the ball into the net, as if it were his team mate, and wheeled away, jubilant. Onto the third.

The Arsenal box was occupied so often by Barcelona, and so it was only a matter of time before someone went down and won a penalty. To my diving hating relief, it was a penalty, fairly awarded for a Koscielny tackle which brought down the Barca player with a late, trailing leg. Messi duly stroked it artistically home, and the game was won.

The deserved winners march on in the competition, leaving Arsenal licking their wounds in preparation for a crucial clash with Manchester United in a far more winnable FA Cup tie. Time to pick themselves up and push on.

Watch: Barcelona 3 - 1 Arsenal (4 - 3)

Arsenal were well and truly beaten tonight against a relentless and mercilessly attacking Barcelona.
Full Match Report Here

Barcelona 1 - 0 Arsenal [Messi]

Barcelona 1 - 1 Arsenal [Pedro OG]

    Barcelona 2 - 1 Arsenal [Xavi]

Barcelona 3 - 1 Arsenal [Messi]

Wilshere Admirers Grow by the Day

Jack Wilshere told of the best week of his life after Arsenal's win against Barcelona at the Emirates, and as his excellent performances become an ever frequent feature at the North London club, his fans, admirers, supporters, followers - call them what you like - increase by the day. No-one can doubt his obvious quality, skill and footballing artistry, and in such a young player it is very rare to see such natural ability so perhaps it is unsurprising that praise for him is not in short supply.

The most recent to heap praise on the 19 year-old is Barcelona's manager, Pep Guardiola. The manager, who has led Barcelona to eight trophies since taking over in 2008, is about to sign a contract extension at his club. Speculation had begun however, as to whether Guardiola may try to sign Wilshere for Barca in light of his brilliant performance against his side. The 40 year-old moved to rubbish the rumours, but not before adding his compliments to the players growing number of them:

"He [Wilshere] is a great player - a great player for Arsenal and in any case, Arsene Wenger doesn't sell his best players."

He continued to praise Arsenal:

"Arsenal are a wonderful side. You will not hear me discredit Arsenal - they are a great side with a great coach and they will be a very difficult opponent. It will be a great game against a great team."

His own manager has nothing but good to say about Wilshere. Arsene Wenger likened his playing style to that of Spanish players while applauding how he plays unworried and unfazed by his surroundings and occasion:

"He has a Spanish technique certainly, yes. He has an English heart because he's an English boy.

"He takes everything at the moment with a cool head, that's what I like. At his age you want to play and play again and show what you are. What I like as well is he isn't fazed by the occasion; he's not inhibited and just plays free off his chest which is fantastic."

Meanwhile his team mates, both club and country have told how they love to play with him. Fellow Arsenal midfielder Alex Song called him an "unbelievable young player" and he s "very happy to play alongside him". Song said Wilshere "always want to listen and learn" an invaluable quality in young players.
Wayne Rooney, who has had the privilege of playing with Wilshere for England and will undoubtedly do so in he future too, said after Wilshere's first start for England:

"I thought Jack Wilshere did really well. He is really composed on the ball and really good to play with. You can see the potential he has got."

Chelsea's Frank Lampard echoed Rooney's comments:

"We have learned that Wilshere can come in and continue showing the composure he plays with for Arsenal. Credit to him on his full debut because it isn't easy, but he is only going to get better and better now.

The media have given Wilshere rave reviews after watching his performance very closely, and he has been compared to the likes of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, Wilshere's Arsenal team mate Cesc Fabregas, and the two Spanish central midfielders Xavi and Iniesta. He is a superb player, and one with a fantastic future. If he continues to improve and showcase his excellent performances on footballs biggest stages, there will be little doubt that in the future, up and coming quality players will be compared to Wilshere himself.


With the Nou Camp coming up, he will have possibly the biggest stage in world football to pull Arsenal through to the final stages of the Champions League.

Fabregas: Wilshere was Scared to ask Messi to Swap Shirts

Despite being probably the best player on the pitch, which held the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Fabregas, Nasri and David Villa, Jack Wilshere was apparently too scared to ask Lionel Messi for his shirt after the game between Arsenal and Barcelona. 

The Arsenal captain, Cesc Fabregas, tweeted Wilshere saying:

"can't believe i had to go to get Messi's shirt for u. U were so scared. You were MOTM [Man of the match] so next time please ask urself!"

In the end, Wilshere walked away with both Messi's and Xavi's shirts, and tweeted a picture of him [Right] and his dad holding the precious items which hold such significance to the young man early in his career.
He said:

"Morning tweeps. You will like this one. Me and my dad with Messi and Xavi's shirt after the game."

Wilshere was praised by his manager Arsene Wenger as outstanding after the Champions League clash, saying that the young midfielder was unfazed by the quality that surrounded him. After all, he will be - if not already - as good, if not better than the players he was up against. Wilshere is an outstanding and rare English talent and Arsenal are lucky to have such a down to earth, footballing man, who plays football so well - the heartbeat of the Arsenal midfield at times.

After the game, Wilshere was ecstatic:

"It's been a great couple of weeks - the best of my life.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Barcelona: Brilliant Comeback Does Gunners Proud

When Arsenal went behind to a David Villa goal, it looked as if some impressive Arsenal play would count for absolutely nothing as Barcelona looked to keep possession and settle, as they capably do, with the 0 - 1 result. They may not have expected then, that Arsenal, in front of their brilliantly supportive fans who stayed on their side all night would bravely fight back for a memorable win at the Emirates - their first ever win against Barcelona.

It is hard to pick out an Arsenal player who had a bad game. Every one of them did themselves proud, with the young Jack Wilshere doing particularly magnificently among some of the greatest central midfielders on the planet. He was brilliant at knocking the ball around as well as getting out of some tricky and tight situations, portraying a footballing age years beyond his own 19.

The Arsenal defence, often questioned and exposed as their main weakness, was resilient and made very few mistakes - only falling asleep a couple of times, with only one of those instances being punished. Koscielny was very good at the back and coped with the explosive attack of Barca very well.

The game was a fantastic spectacle, and it did fly by, with the football from both sides being typically technically wonderful, and at times was end to end football. The entertaining game was constantly competitive, with Arsenal being spurred on by their excellent fans who played a very big part in the comeback, giving the players the belief that they needed to pick themselves up after some rocky spells.

A blasted Van Persie shot from an impossible angle caught Victor Valdes on his near post as he occupied himself with the prospect of a flashed cross. The Dutch striker caught everyone out with the shot, and it took a moment to sink in for the fans that the back of the net was bulging.

Five minutes later, and the breathtaking comeback was complete with an Andrei Arshavin winner. He popped off the bench late on and in a counter attack which saw the surprise starter Samir Nasri (after injury) roll it back almost in slow motion, the little Russian stroked the ball past Valdes for a second time. He wheeled away to the delight of the Arsenal fans who mustn't have believed the astonishing sight, as Barcelona players held their heads in their hands.

Arsenal should enjoy it while they can. Yes, they have beaten one of the best teams in the world for the first time in Barcelona. Yes, they showed excellent character to come back from behind. Yes they take a lead into the second leg. But, the second leg will be far higher task for them to complete. The atmosphere will be hostile, the players will be up for it, and Arsenal will be desperate to cling on to their win.

It would be absolutely fantastic for English football and Arsenal if they could pull off an aggregate win over Barcelona at Camp Nou. But it will be, as they undoubtedly know, a very tough task. Even if they do not, they can take great solace in the fact that they have improved from last year and shown great character to come from behind and win. They should use this as a spring board for better things, and finally come of age.

Nasri Could Miss Barca Game but Wenger Won't Buy

Samir Nasri has been Arsenal's best player this season, so Wenger must have been feeling his compatriots pain when the 23 year-old midfielder pulled up with a hamstring injury against Huddersfield in the F.A Cup. After chasing a long ball from the returning Almunia, Nasri pulled up, and every Arsenal fans' breath was held, hoping that it would be nothing serious, and Nasri would be back to terrorise the opposition defence in a couple of short minutes. But it won't be minutes that Arsenal will have to wait for Nasri's return, it will be weeks.

Wenger had risked Nasri for the game, and now admits his regret at doing so, as it looks as if the injury could rule Nasri out for the next thee weeks - that is including Arsenal's massive clash with Spanish giants Barcelona. But will Wenger buy a replacement for Nasri in the remaining day of the transfer window? Take a guess.

The Arsenal manager was reluctant to predict when Nasri would return, but had a go nevertheless:

"Nasri looks to have a serious hamstring injury. Usually it is three weeks. We have to see if it is a grade 1, it will be two weeks, so we will see. It is very difficult to predict.

"I have now regrets because the plan was to play Rosicky, but he was still too weak because he was sick, so I took the gamble on Nasri. It backfired, but he could have come on and that happened as well.

“We are at the stage of the season where we play so many games that to lose bodies is very difficult for us. But Samir is a big blow."

Arsenal play Barcelona on the 16th February, which means that if Nasri recovers in two weeks, he could play some part at least in the Champions League match. However, if it is three weeks out that Nasri must suffer, he will certainly miss Arsenal's biggest test of the season. It is so unlucky for Arsenal that the player who has been in such fantastically blistering form this season is the one who could miss the match that he could make such a difference in, and showcase his skills against the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and so on.

A familiar quote that passes Wengers lips nowadays is:

"No, we will not sign anyone."  

He has said it again.
Instead of splashing the cash on a player like Eden Hazard who has expressed his desire to play for Arsenal, Wenger will recall Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Henri Lansbury, who are currently on loan spells. This could irritate those Arsenal fans becoming more and more frustrated by the lack of movement in the transfer window, especially considering the big games coming up as Arsenal challenge for both the Premier League and Champions League in the next few games or so.


The calmer Arsenal fans with more faith in Wenger will once again respect his decision not to sign anyone in the January transfer window, and happily see the younger players step up and help to take on the big teams. Wenger has never been one for a knee-jerk reaction, but we will have to wait and see if his patience and relaxed attitude towards transfers pays off against such a good side in Barcelona without their top player in Nasri.

Lionel Messi to Inter?

The Inter Milan owner, Massimo Moratti has claimed that he may hold talks with Barcelona over the availability of arguably the best player in the world, in their star player, Lionel Messi.

He said:

"[Lionel] Messi? Everyone asks me to buy a strong player. He is the strongest of all. So I'm starting to ask me the question.

And I still have not answered neither 'yes' nor 'no'. On Sunday, I jokingly said that I would bring Messi to Inter.

But we could only really talk about it with Barcelona. Let's see what happens in the coming days."

If Inter were seriously going to have to have any chance of prising theArgentinian away from Camp Nou, then they would have to b prepared to pay a massive sum of money to both the club, and Messi himself. Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for £70 million to Real Madrid - a world record fee, and it is widely regarded that Messi is as good if not better than the Portugese record breaker.

Messi seems very happy at Barcelona, and has had a lot of success at the Spanish club, so why would he want to change his magnificent routine? There are very few reasons why a player would want to leave Barcelona during such a succesful period whilst playing alongside brilliant players such as Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol - the list goes on. Maybe he just wants a change? Rafael Benitez would certainly welcome the player to Inter Milan.