Paul Scholes, one of Manchester United’s greatest-ever midfielders, has named the five toughest opponents he faced during his illustrious 20-year career.
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The former England international, widely considered one of the finest midfielders of his generation, spent his entire playing career at United, making 713 appearances and collecting 25 major trophies, including 11 Premier League titles and a historic treble in 1999.
When asked to name his toughest opponents, Scholes highlighted players from Europe’s elite clubs rather than those in the Premier League. First on his list is Lionel Messi, a player regarded by many as the greatest of all time.
Scholes also named two of Messi’s Barcelona teammates, midfield maestros Xavi and Andres Iniesta. The Englishman then included two Real Madrid legends: Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian forward Ronaldo, also known as R9.
Scholes, speaking on Sky Bet’s The Overlap, explained that he particularly wanted to highlight midfielders, hence his admiration for Zidane and Xavi, both of whom have praised Scholes in return.
Xavi once described Scholes as the “best central midfielder” of the previous two decades, while Zidane called him “the complete midfielder,” recognizing Scholes as the best of his generation.