It may have escaped your attention last weekend that Paul Scholes scored the opener on what was his 700th career appearance. It certainly didn’t make the headlines in the same way that Hillsborough and Handshakes did. But coming in under the radar is nothing new for Scholes, on or off the field.
On Saturday Paul Scholes ghosted into the box, unnoticed by the Wigan defence, to give United the lead. Setting United on route to an impressive 4-0 win. Off the field Scholes is equally as anonymous. Never seen in OK or Hello, or falling out of a club at 3am, Scholes is revered in football as the model professional.
He turns up, on time, trains hard, does his thing, goes home to his family. Simple. He doesn’t have a spokesperson, a PR rep or even an agent. With Paul Scholes the man, what you see is what you get.
Paul Scholes, the player, is far more spectacular....
Maybe helped by his exemplary attitude off the pitch, Scholes has become one of the most consistent and talented midfielders of his generation. Hailed by the likes of Zidane and Xavi as one of the best midfielders of all time. Certainly the best Englishman of his generation.
Scholes had a glittering career for United, winning the Premier League 10 times as well as 3 FA Cups and 2 Champions Leagues. With these (and many more) medals safely in the trophy cabinet the time seemed right for Scholes to bow out. He played what was expected to be his final game in the 2011 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona and immediately joined the Man United coaching staff.
Scholes continued in his role as a coach for the rest of 2011 but United’s form stuttered. Local rivals Manchester City were now not just title contenders but favourites to lift the Premier League. This paired with a mounting injury crisis tempted Scholes back onto the field.
He came out of retirement on January 8th 2012, coming off the bench in United’s 3-2 FA Cup win over rivals City. Invigorated by the 6 months of rest he’d had since retiring, Scholes went on to play a starring role for the rest of the season and so very nearly helped United to another Premier League title.
With his importance to United proven, Scholes signed a one year contract extension and has started this season brightly as United try and wrestle the title from the clutches of their neighbours. He's had to adapt his game as he has got older but has done so as successfully as any player in recent memory.
The late runs into the box may not come quite as often and the all-action style has been toned down slightly but Scholes still has the uncanny ability to dictate any game of football he graces. Albeit from a slightly deeper role within United’s midfield, Scholes has such accuracy with his passing that he can influence play from anywhere on the field.
Currently with a passing accuracy of 92.66% for the season, Paul Scholes is still hugely important to the way United play. It has been suggested for years that United need to recruit a creative midfielder (the likes of Kaká and Sneijder have been touted) and one day they will. But for now it’s hard to imagine how anybody could be an improvement on the one they have.
Even at 37, Scholes was able to boss a Premier League game against Wigan and then, just 4 days later, help United to victory in the Champions League against Galatasaray. He’s probably not at the height of his powers now, but he’s still better than most.
His stellar performances outstanding, the midfielder is just as important to United because of who he is, not just how he plays. In Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson has a shining example of what a young player should strive to be. Hard-working, honest and exceptionally disciplined, United’s young players could do a lot worse than to follow in his footsteps and Fergie knows it.
But don’t let the ‘quiet man’ demeanour fool you; Paul Scholes is a winner who demands success from those around him. Knowing how to win a title is an invaluable skill and while City have managed it once, United have a squad bursting with players who know how to get the job done. Sir Alex will be calling on Scholes as well as the Ryan Giggs’ and Rio Ferdinand’s that he has at his disposal to lead the way in ousting City from the top.
Scholes, once again, invaluable.
So, scoring on his 700th game may have passed you buy without much fanfare. Don’t worry, he also scored on his 100th, 300th, 400th and 500th appearances, but you probably don’t remember those either. That’s because Paul Scholes the man doesn’t demand attention for such milestones. But Paul Scholes, the player, demands all the attention in the world.
If you want to learn how to play football, or you just want to watch it played perfectly, then go and watch Paul Scholes while you still can.