Style of Play
Thierry Henry said, "Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes... He knows how to do everything." When asked about Scholes, Bobby Charlton stated, "Paul is always so in control and pin-point accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch", whilst Marcello Lippi remarked that Scholes is "an all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance." BBC football pundit and former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen has described Scholes as "one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League" and commented "his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone." Manchester United team mate Nani commented "he’s the best midfielder I’ve ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything."
The one aspect of his game frequently criticised was his tackling, which was recognised as inept by pundits, fans and Scholes himself. In addition, the potential for malicious intent in some of his tackles has been raised; it has been suggested that he has escaped greater censure due to the admiration that pundits have for him. However, Scholes said in an interview after his retirement that the tackles were to get back at players who had fouled him earlier in the game and the infamy surrounding his tackles led to him often being unnecessarily booked.
In February 2011, Barcelona midfielder Xavi rated Scholes as the best player in his position in the past two decades, stating "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." This sentiment was echoed by Barcelona manager, Josep Guardiola, who considered Scholes to be the best midfielder of his generation.
Read more about this topic: Paul Scholes
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