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The year 1974 was a great year for the football world because Paul Scholes was born in that year. He’s a legend; one of the most fantastic and incredible players to play the beautiful sport. Paul Scholes is an English footballer, a one-club man who has played his entire professional career for Manchester United. He was born on 16th November 1974 at Salford. He was brilliant in both cricket and football when he was at school. He chose football over cricket. How different the cricketing world and the England cricket team would have been if Paul had decided to choose cricket in his youth. He signed for the club as a beginner on leaving school in 1991 and turned professional in 1993.
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Paul Scholes is a born legend and he has earned a lot of fame over the years. One would think he’s filled with arrogance but he is the exact opposite. He is a simple family guy and his personality outside the football field has been described as shy. In one of his interviews he said “my daily routine is to get up, go for practice in the morning, pick up my children from school, play with them, have dinner, put them to bed and then watch a bit of television.’’ It shows how simple this legendary footballer is. He has broken countless records in the game and won every honour and tribute and platitude around. Scholes stands on the brink of another milestone that underlines his longevity and consistent excellence in football. When you look back at his career, it unlocks a treasure trove of memorable goals and moments. He’s has shown a greater spirit of adventure then most of the footballers. He has always been an elusive player, but no one had guessed he could give time the slip. At the age of 37, the Manchester United midfielder still wants the moments of excellence that bear the touch of mischief that characterises an outstanding footballer.
The first chapter of his career at his club Manchester United began when he made his debut for the club in the League cup against Port Vale at Vale Park in September 1994, when this ginger-head midfielder was wearing the no. 10 shirt. The team won 2-1 and Paul Scholes scored both the goals, impressing the boss Sir Alex Ferguson. A league debut followed three days later, and such was the impact of the tenacious, snap-tackling, long ball-spraying player that he had 25 United appearances before the end of the season. The club lost 3-2 but Scholes ended up scoring the consolation goal. His first goal at Old Trafford was in January 1995 against Coventry City. In the 1995-96 season, Scholes wore the number 22 shirt. He scored fourteen goals in all competitions as United became the first team to do the double twice.
The second chapter of his career started in the next season when he changed his shirt number to 18, which he held for 15 years. At the end of the season, Blackburn Rovers wanted Paul Scholes in exchange of Alan Shearer but the club refused to sell him. One can’t picture the club without the most extraordinary midfielder of all time. In the 1998-99 season, Scholes was a key player in Manchester United’s treble success. His influence was shone in so many games and outstanding moments came at regular intervals. He scored against Barcelona FC in the unforgettable 3-3 draw at Old Trafford, he also netted a late equalizer in Milan in the quarter-final and scored in the FA cup final against Newcastle. His dream to play in the champions league final came to an end when he got a yellow card in the semi-final against Juventas FC which meant he could not play in finals against Bayern Munich through the suspension rule.
Paul Scholes made his international debut against South Africa in 1997 at Old Trafford where this fantastic midfielder was born. He scored his debut goal against Tunisia in the 1998 world cup match. He played in the 1998 and 2002 world cup. In 2004 he decided to retire from international football. After retiring, he told the media that he was fed up. He said he doesn’t want to be a part of the team who just want individual & personal glory. He deserves the appreciation even if the enduring impact makes it all the more galling that his talent was rarely at his acute when he was in an England shirt. Old Trafford is his comfort zone, although the examination set for him can be as demanding as any confronting the national team.
Throughout his career he has been booked on quite a number of occasions. He has more than 120 bookings in all competition and he has been sent off ten times. The red card against Liverpool was quite a funny one, where the club was playing very well, until Scholes got a red card. Luckily for the club, John O’Shea scored a goal from Ronaldo’s free kick in the stoppage time which insured the club winning their 16th premier league title. He has been sent off thrice against Liverpool out of the four times he has been sent off in the premier league. Arsene Wenger once said that “For me, he was not a fair player. There’s a little bit of a darker side to him, sometimes, that I did not like. I respect him highly as a quality player but I did not like some things he did on the football pitch”. Paul later said in a interview that “I don’t like compliments, I prefer criticism. I like to prove them wrong in every game I play. The tackles were to get back at players who had fouled me earlier in the game and the infamy surrounding his tackles led to him often being unnecessarily booked’’. Paul Scholes has made more than 700 appearances for Manchester United. He has the 3rd highest number of appearances after Sir Bobby Charlton and his fellow team-mate Ryan Giggs. The season 2002-2003 was brilliant as he scored 20 goals in all competition. He is the heart of the club’s midfield. Over the years, he had got offers from many big clubs, but he decided to stay because he was very loyal to the club. He gave everything to the club, everything he had. United is very lucky to have him.
On 28th May 2011, Paul Scholes played his last match before his retirement against Barcelona. In that match, 5 Barcelona players wanted to swap their shirts with Paul Scholes – Xavi, Messi, Busquets and Pedro walked up to Scholes but Andreas Iniesta beat them all to it. They thought this will be the last time they face this incredible midfielder. 31st May 2011 was a very sad day for all the football fans as this gifted midfielder decided to retire. But the one club player did not leave the club even after retiring from football. He decided to join the coaching staff at the club. On 5th August the club played a testimonial match to honour his 17 years service for the club. The match was played against the American club New York Cosmos at Old Trafford where united won 6-0. Scholes scored the opening goal. He bid farewell to the club in style.
Manchester United started the season very well before they were hammered 6-1 by their rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford. That was just the beginning of the thunderous storm the club was about to face. A week later, their best defender Vidic, got injured and was ruled out for the entire season. Most of the midfielders got injured. The club was then knocked out of the Champions League as well. United were trailing their rivals Manchester City in the premier league. The fans knew only a miracle could rescue them from this horrible situation. This miracle came in the form of Paul Scholes. Fans asked for the replacement of Scholes, Sir Alex gave them Scholes. He came back to silence the noisy neighbours. He is the heart of United’s midfield. Many people said Scholes won’t be able to make an impact like he used to during his prime and he should go back to coaching. Like Scholes says, if you criticize me I’ll prove you wrong in the game. This legendry midfielder has a golden mouth. He proved everybody doubting him wrong. He believes that he has one more year left in him. So he signed a contract with the club for another year and the fans and the manager believe in him. On his 700th appearance for the club, the ginger prince scored the opening goal against Wigan Athletic. He is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is loyal to his club a one team player and doesn’t want fame. People who say football is all about pace they should see this midfielder play. No one can control the game like Scholes can. It’s just a pleasure every time to watch him play. There won’t be another Scholes for another generation. Such a wonderful player this ginger prince is.
