Paul Scholes

"“Hes not the quickest, he doesnt run the most, he never wins a header, he cant tackle but hes the best player”."

"When its over I just want to be able to look in the mirror and say, Well, you were a half-decent player."

"No celebrity bullshit, no self promotion - an amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being."

"England have lost their best player.""

"Hes unbelievable - hes one of the greatest of all time.""

"Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is one who directs the way his team plays. On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor.""

"I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. Its Paul Scholes. Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. 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 Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that he will find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce the decisive volley. When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore. Hes always on the ball, always turning on goal. Hes always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill.""

"There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.""

"The one [role model] that stands out the most was Paul Scholes. I look up to him and was lucky enough a couple of games ago to play against United for Villa and I got his top. Thats a big thing for me because in my eyes hes probably the best player in the world. Even now, even though hes old, hes still one of the best in the league.""

"I’d go for Scholesy as the club’s greatest ever player. I’ve seen him do things that no other player can do. The way he can control the tempo of games, and his range of passing, are both incredible. We’ve seen over the years that players just haven’t been able to get near him. And you can’t forget his goals either.""

"“If he was playing with me, I would score so many more.”"

"I love watching little Paul Scholes, he’s so in control of what he’s doing and is always so accurate and pinpoint with his passing – it’s just beautiful to watch.""