http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11667_6104906,00.html האמת, אני לא זוכר אף שחקן ביונייטד (בתקופת האהדה שלי) שהיה עד כדי כך נכון להגיד לגביו שאם הוא טוב, אנחנו טובים, ואם הוא חלש, אנחנו בבעיה. שחקן מזן נדיר, על המגרש ומחוצה לו, כ"כ חכם, לא יודע איך לעקל את זה שימיו ביונייטד ספורים.
השחקן הכי אנדרייטד בכדורגל האירופאי בשני העשורים האחרונים. הוא לא מכר חולצות כמו בקהאם, רונאלדו או רוני, אבל תמיד היה בין 3 השחקנים הכי טובים, יציבים, ומשפיעים בקבוצה, על כל צורותיה והרכביה. כשאנשים מדברים על גאוני כדורגל ואגדות חיות, שינסו לדבר פחות על גמדים בני 22 ויותר על הגמד הזה בן ה 35.
אנדרייטד אולי בקרב התקשורת הצבעונית ומשום שלא סיפק כותרות, אנשי מקצוע,מנג'רים ושחקנים יריבים,עיתונאים לעניין תמיד ציינו אותו כגאון וכשחקן הכי חשוב או שהכי קשה לשחק נגדו ביונייטד. גם כשהוא בגיל 35 ,פרגוסון משנה טאקטיקות בכדי להרוויח ממנו עוד קצת, בנבחרת אף מנג'ר שהיה לנו בתקופה ששיחק לא היה מספיק חכם בכדי לעשות זאת גם כן, תמיד היה מישהו אחר,"חשוב" ממנו.
סתם בשביל להוסיף, באחד על אחד עם אייל ברקוביץ הוא נשאל מי לדעתו השחקן הכי טוב? הוא מיד ענה שסקולס, וגם נימק שהוא שיחק מול סקולס הוא לא ראה בעל בית שכזה על המגרש בחיים, הכי טוב בעולם ללא ספק.
אני חושב שפול סקולס הוא שחקן יונייטד שזכה להכי הרבה מחמאות משחקני עבר, מאמנים, אנשי מקצוע וקולגות, ביחס לתשומת לב ולמחמאות שהוא מקבל מהתקשורת וגם מהקהל הרחב יותר. אני עדיין מבכה על הפיספוס בנבחרת אנגליה. ב-2004 וסוף סוף בטורניר שבו אנגליה היתה נהדרת, אריקסון ברוב חוכמתו ביזבז אותו באגף שמאל והעדיף את הציוות המופלא של ג'רארד-למפארד (תודה לך דון פאביו, תודה). ב-2002 הוא לא היה בשיאו ולפני כן זאת היתה אנגליה הבינונית עם הודל וקיגן (ועדיין סקולס כבש ב-98 וב-2000).
לקט מיקרי... Vieira on Scholes Patrick Vieira has surprisingly revealed that Paul Scholes was one of the toughest opponents he faced while wearing an Arsenal jersey. Talking to former Bayern Munich player Stefan Effenberg on Fords Feel Football programme, the France captain revealed: "One that may surprise you is (Paul) Scholes - because I never knew how to mark him. "This guy is really clever - he can play one touch, two touches - so it's really difficult to get to him at the right time to try to get the ball. I would have said he's one of the tough players I had to face because by the time you get to him the ball is gone already. Sir Bobby Charlton in the Sun April 22, 2009 Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that hell find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce a decisive volley. When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore. Hes always on the ball. Hes always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill. I tell anyone who asks me - Scholes is the best English player. o Laurent Blanc. * I'm not the best, Paul Scholes is. o Edgar Davids. * An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being. o Roy Keane. * An all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance. o Italian World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi. Back in 2004.... THIERRY HENRY has given Arsenal's arch-rivals Manchester United a boost - by hailing Paul Scholes as the best player in the Premiership. The French striker has gone out of his way to heap praise on Old Trafford ace Scholes, who played a key role in United's title win last season.Henry told a French magazine: "Without any doubt it has to be Paul Scholes, Man United's midfielder. "He knows how to do everything, and he is the one who directs the way his team plays. "On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength, and he is a genuine competitor." Zinedine Zidane : "My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder." Zinedine Zidane : "Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation." Micah Richards : "He's always in the right position, always seems to be at the end of the box when the ball drops in. The complete midfielder - when he's fit, he's the best. Some go missing but he's in the right place at the right time. He's my favourite player of all-time, unbelievable. If you give him a chance it's a goal, isn't it?" Glenn Hoddle : "There isnt a player of his mould anywhere else in the world." Terry Venables : "Hes the best one- or two-touch passer in the country. He sees the game unlike any other player." Alan Shearer : "If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. Hes the most consistent and naturally gifted player weve had for a long, long time." Eidur Gudjohnsen : "I'm more an admirer of Paul Scholes than I am of Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a fantastic player, but he has 10 other great players around him every week...Scholes is one of the most complete footballers I've ever seen. His one-touch play is phenomenal. Whenever I have played against him, I never felt I could get close to him." Edgar Davids : ""Every one of us (midfielders) is just trying to become as good as him. Everyone can learn from Paul Scholes." Edgar Davids : "I'm not the best, Paul Scholes is." Tony Adams : "I really rate Paul Scholes, because he hasn't got the high profile of many of the Manchester United players, he doesn't get too much attention, but he is one very good player. He is an intelligent player, he works hard and he scores some great goals. He is not flamboyant and is a quiet lad off the pitch but he is a tremendous asset to Manchester United and to England. He has already got my vote as player of the year." Cesc Fabregas : "He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League." Patrick Vieira : "The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy - Scholes." Thierry Henry : "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'." Sam Allardyce : "There is not a better midfield player in the world." Kevin Keegan : "What United have got that Chelsea haven't is Paul Scholes. I think he is different to anything else in English football." Marcello Lippi : "Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team - that goes to show how highly I have always rated him. Scholes is a player I have always liked, because he combines great talent and technical ability with mobility, determination and a superb shot. He is an all-round midfielder who possesses character and quality in abundance. In my opinion, he's been one of the most important players for United under Sir Alex." Ray Wilkins : "I'm saddened because I think we as spectators, not only in this country but right through out Europe and the rest of the World, will be missing one hell of a footballer." Gordon Strachan : "Paul Scholes has been the best England midfield player for 30-odd years. You'd probably have to go back to Bobby Charlton to find someone who could do as much as Scholes. When the ball arrives at his feet he could tell you where every player on that pitch is at that moment. His awareness is superb." Veron while at Chelsea being asked in an interview who's the best english player : "Paul Scholes." Peter Schmeichel : "People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is, For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed.If he is having a bad game, a team-mate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. His reading of the game is unsurpassed.He has an 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." Peter Schmeichel : "Still the best player in that United midfield." Laurent Blanc : "Scholes is the best English player. Intelligence, technique, strength... all the attributes are there. At Manchester United I saw what he could do on the training field. Phew!" Michael Carrick : "Paul Scholes is just fantastic. When you play alongside him, you realise what a special talent he is." Michael Carrick : "He is a legend and he's going to be remembered for a long time. Just to play alongside him and learn from him has been an absolute pleasure. I think he is a footballer's footballer; he has been at this level for so long. As long as he is part of us we always feel we have a chance. We appreciate the way he goes about his business. I have never met a character like Scholesy; certainly not someone who is that good." Park Ji Sung when asked by the clubs official home page which United player he would like to see in the red shirt of the Taeguk Warriors : It has to be Paul Scholes. David Beckham said that, among his teammates at Real Madrid, which included Zinedine Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Roberto Carlos, Scholes was the most admired opponent : "He's always one of those people others talk about. Even playing at Real Madrid, the players always say to me 'what's he like'? They respect him as a footballer, and to have that respect from some of those players is great." Brian Kidd : "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 its own." Rio Ferdinand : "I can honestly say Paul is the best player in the England squad. For me he is the complete player." Rio Ferdinand : "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." Phil Neville : "Paul, for me, is the best player in the England team. It worries teams. Speak to any other international team and they will single Paul out as England's key player. For me, he doesn't get the full credit that he deserves. He is a world-class player and deserves to be up there with the likes of Zidane and Figo." Gary Neville : "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 : "Paul Scholes is the best player I've ever played with. There's talent in every part of his game." Steve Bruce : "He's the best player in Britain in my opinion and he has to get himself fit just before we are due to play at Old Trafford. I cannot pay Paul a bigger compliment than to say that he's the most complete footballer in the country. The best bar none." Roy Keane : "An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being." George Best : "To be honest I think England have lost their best player. Certainly he's the most consistent and naturally gifted player we've had for a long, long time." Sir Bobby Charlton : "I am sorry for England because they don't have any player like him. You can talk about others but there is no one else like him. He is the best technical player England has without any question. He could have had a lot more caps if he had carried on. And if I was the manager he would have ended up with more than I did easy" Sir Bobby Charlton : "Hes always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing a beautiful player to watch." Sir Bobby Charlton : "Paul Scholes is my favourite player. He epitomises the spirit of Manchester United and everything that is good about football." Sir Alex Ferguson : "Very few players can do that, but Scholes is one of them - and I knew he was one of them. That's why, without question, I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England. He's got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him." Sir Alex Ferguson : "He has an awareness of whats happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but hes proving just as effective from outside the box because hes using his experience in the right way. It doesnt matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world." Sir Alex Ferguson : Sir Alex Ferguson gave evidence in court on behalf of one of his former trainees and listened to the prosecution barrister's list of United's top players. "You've missed Paul Scholes - and he's my best player," Ferguson chided her.
בהקשר של סקולס והנבחרת אם הייתי אוהד יונייטד ואנגליה הייתי ממלא את פי מים. הפרישה המוקדמת שלו מהנבחרת- אולי זו עוד סיבה למה הוא לא מקבל קרדיט על פועלו מהתקשורת.
לאחר שאריקסון הראה באופן ברור למי הוא נותן את המושכות במרכז הקישור ובזמן שגדל דור כל-כך מוכשר של שחקנים במרכז הקישור של נבחרת אנגליה (גם בלעדיו לא חסרות לנו דילמות שם), סקולס עשה מבחינתו צעד נכון. אני לא רואה אותו משתלב לא ב-2006 ולא בדרום אפריקה.
כאשר נשלח לאגף שמאל!!!(מה לו ולזה בכלל) על מנת לאפשר לג'ארארד וולאמפרד לשחק ביחד במרכז(מה שכמובן נכשל לחלוטין בזמנו) לא נותרה לו ברירה.עדיף להרוויח עוד כמה עונות של טריות ביונייטד מאשר להיות נושא כלים ללא שום סיבה נראית לעין.
