Manchester United legend Paul Scholes picked out one legendary former player that he crossed paths with in his prolific career as the best midfielder of all time.
Paul Scholes is considered one of the best players in Premier League history and the 50-year-old former Manchester United star is one of the best midfielders of all time.
The United legend spent his entire legendary playing career at Old Trafford and Scholes made a whopping 716 appearances for the Premier League club.
Scholes was a key midfield influence for Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary teams of the past and he scored 155 times and registered 82 assists for United.
During his time at Old Trafford, Scholes captured 11 Premier League trophies, two Champions League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups with the Red Devils.
Iconic former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought Scholes into the Red Devils first team in the 1990s after he impressed in the United youth academy.
Scholes initially called it time on his illustrious playing career in 2011 before he made a stunning U-turn on his retirement and returned to Old Trafford as a player in 2012.
The ex-England and Red Devils midfielder hung up his boots for the second – and final – time in 2013 after United lifted their last Premier League title under Ferguson.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty ImagesMan Utd legend Paul Scholes crowned Real Madrid and France icon Zinedine Zidane as the best midfielder ever
Paul Scholes shared the pitch with an abundance of legendary midfielders, including Manchester United legend Roy Keane and Barcelona icons Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Speaking on The Overlap, the ex-Three Lions star was asked to choose the best midfielder right now and the best player in that role in the history of football.
Scholes revealed that his current pick for the best midfielder in the world would be none other than Manchester City and Belgium playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
When it came to the midfielder who would claim ‘GOAT’ status in that role, the United legend left himself out of contention and the likes of Roy Keane.
Scholes admitted that he would put Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane ahead of the likes of Keane, Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the midfield debate.
Why former Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson missed out on bringing Zinedine Zidane to Old Trafford
Former United chairman Martin Edwards previously claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson turned down a move for Zinedine Zidane when he was at Bordeaux in the 1990s.
According to Martin Edwards, former United manager Ferguson did not want Zidane’s arrival at United to cause problems for Red Devils legend Eric Cantona.
“I tried to nutmeg him once, it was the worst thing I could have done.”
Just how good was Zinedine Zidane?
Paul Scholes knows firsthand how talented he was, and it seems the feeling was mutual…#UCLIMMORTALS pic.twitter.com/dNkL4EKdv4
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“Alex said that Eric had also mentioned Zidane to him but Alex felt Zidane played in the same position as Eric,” Edwards said, as per The Sun in 2023.
“Having gone over to France to persuade Eric to re-sign for us, after the Crystal Palace incident [with Cantona banned for eight months for his kung-fu kick], he felt that, if he had brought Zidane in, it may have affected Eric’s position, so he stuck with Eric.”
Zidane, who is one of the best players of all time, would leave French outfit Bordeaux in 1996 and went on to have a magnificent spell at Serie A side Juventus.
The 52-year-old World Cup winner completed his blockbuster move to Real Madrid in 2001 and ‘Zizou’ had a sensational impact in the Spanish capital as a player.