Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, he who sits atop the totem pole as probably the greatest midfielder English football has ever produced, is celebrating his 46th birthday.<\/p>\n
Seven years now since hanging up his magical boots for the second time in a mesmerising career on the pitch, Scholes has continued to ply his trade as both a pundit and a coach.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, United fans would give both arms and legs to have a player of Scholes\u2019s ability in their current squad to shore up their defenses and improve the strike rate.<\/p>\n
Scholes, perhaps more than any other player in recent English football history, still commands the universal mutual admiration and respect of his peers, with most of his former team-mates unabashedly naming him as the best player they ever played with – even ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo – while various high-profile opponents have also been full of praise for the midfield maestro down the years.<\/p>\n
The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo,\u00a0 Pele and Pep Guardiola\u00a0have all spoken exuberantly with high praise of Scholes for his stellar performances in the past.<\/p>\n
When asked what he thought about receiving such lofty praise from football\u2019s biggest names, Scholes\u2019 response nipped it in the bud in summing the man up perfectly.<\/p>\n
Speaking to beIN Sport, he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbarrassed mainly, erm\u2026 but flattered as well to get these kind of comments from these people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese aren\u2019t just run-of-the-mill players and coaches. These are the best players who played the game: Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really nice and, erm\u2026 it gives you a boost when you read stuff like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it true? Don\u2019t know what they think, so I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s Scholes in his classic best. Totally unassuming and modest, ironically at the receiving end of a deluge of praise, yet far from the best at accepting compliments.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the best quotes about Scholes from the other legends of football.<\/p>\n
Pele<\/strong>: “If he was playing with me, I would have scored so many more.”<\/p>\n Lionel Messi<\/strong>: “At La Masia his name was mentioned a lot. He\u2019s a teacher.”<\/p>\n Zinedine Zidane<\/strong>: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.”<\/p>\n Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong>:\u00a0“Scholes is the best I\u2019ve played with and he helped me a lot when I was young. He\u2019s amazing.”<\/p>\n Xavi<\/strong>: “For me, he’s the best central midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15, 20 years.”<\/p>\n Thierry Henry<\/strong>: “I can\u2019t understand why Scholes has never won the player of the year award. He should have won it long ago. Maybe it\u2019s because he doesn\u2019t seek the limelight like some of the other \u2018stars\u2019.”<\/p>\n Cesc Fabregas<\/strong>: “He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League.”<\/p>\n Roy Keane<\/strong>: “An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being.”<\/p>\n Pep Guardiola<\/strong>: \u201cOut of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes \u2013 he is the best midfielder of his generation. I would have loved to have played alongside him.\u201d<\/p>\n Laurent Blanc<\/strong>: “I tell anyone who asks me \u2013 Scholes is the best English player.”<\/p>\n Dimitar Berbatov<\/strong>: “Nobody else can play the way Paul Scholes does.”<\/p>\n