At 36 years old it was no surprise that Paul Scholes would call an end to his career. It was a shame that his final match was against Barcelona and he did not get the send off from the home crowd which he deserved but in typical Scholes fashion he managed to avoid being a distraction of spending to much time in the spotlight. His retirement came about in the same fashion as he went about playing the game. He put his head down and gave his all to the club for nearly 2 decades without ever forcing himself into the spotlight or seeking to be at the centre of attention. He left the team in much the same way he played for them showing that his loyalty was beyond question and that he was never happy being less then the best.
Paul Scholes was always a player who let his performances do the talking. He was not one to seek out the spotlight but his brilliant play often resulted in him being thrust into the spotlight. He will be remembered by United fans as one of the best players to ever patrol the midfield at Old Trafford as well as a core member of the group fondly remembered as Fergie's Fledglings. That legendary group that has brought United so much success in the past 2 decades is now down to one as only Ryan Giggs remains. Nicky Butt, David Beckham, and Phil Neville have all been sold while Gary Neville decided to retire back in February when he was falling off the pace in matches. So now with Scholes moving on to a coaching role at the club it is only Giggs that remains from the group that brought United the famous treble in 1999.
Paul Scholes will be remembered for his ability to score some of the finest goals as he was able to strike the ball from range with the very best of them. One goal that will always stick with me is his effort at Camp Nou against Barcelona back in 2008 which led to a 1-0 United win and allowed him to finally get the chance to play in the Champions League finals. Scholes had missed out on the 1999 final so it only seemed fitting that in 2008 he would play a key role in repeating that European success. Scholes will also be remembered for the way that he adapted his game to meet the teams needs. When he first came to United he was an attacking player who made a name for himself scoring goals but as United had a surplus of strikers he made the shift to being an attacking midfielder where he established himself as one of the greatest midfielders of a generation. Later in his career he would move to more of a deep lying playmaker known for being able to spread passes around the entire pitch and bring a stabilizing presence to United.
As far as where Scholes ranks in the bigger picture of things it is really hard to say. To me he is one of the best to ever play for United and along with Giggs will be long remembered as the corner stones of one of the best midfields ever assembled. He won the Premier League a very impressive 10 times as well as picking up 3 FA Cups, 2 Carling Cups, and the 2 Champions League titles. The list of people who have praised Scholes seems to go on and on and includes many of the biggest names in the game. Zidane once said that Scholes was the greatest player of his generation which is very high praise when you consider that it is coming from a man that many would argue is one of the best midfielders to play the game. Thierry Henry also said that Paul Scholes was the best player in the premiership at a time when the league was going through one of its best phases. For me I would say that Scholes is one of the 5 best players that I have ever had the privilege of watching along with the likes of Ronaldo, Giggs, Zidane, and now Messi. I am not sure where he would rank on that list but it is obvious to me that Scholes is one of the best around and he will be sorely missed at United.
Not to many central midfielders can boast a scoring record like Paul Scholes'. He scored 150 goals for United and even if his scoring has been down the past 5 years or so his void will still be very hard to fill. Sir Alex Ferguson has promised that the team will be spending this summer looking to strengthen a side that won the Premiership and went the Champions League final. The club already seems set to sign David De Gea to replace the also retiring Edwin Van Der Sar but now they will certainly have to move to sign at least one midfielder. No offence to Anderson, Carrick, or Fletcher but they do not possess the skill set that Scholes has and can not be the driving force in the midfield that he was. The leading candidates to come and try to help fill the void at Luka Modric of Tottenham, Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan, and Ashley Young from Aston Villa. Young is much more a wide player, Sneijder more of a goal scorer but Modric would be the kind of play marker who would help to make the attack go.
To me the club needs to make a pair of signings in the midfielder. First move to bring in either Sneijder or Modric as I think that getting both of them would be a bit unrealistic and a real stretch on the budget. I would like to see them get Sneijder to help with the goal scoring which was already low this Premier League season and will probably be ever lower next season if Berbatov leaves the club, which is looking likely. They the club so look to sign Young if the price is right to allow Giggs to spend more time in the central midfield and be a creative force there rather then being worn out running down the wings. Other then that if Young can't be signed I would like to see the club go after a cheaper, domestic option to provide a measure of depth in the position. Signing someone like Jack Rodwell or Jordan Henderson would give the club one more option and someone with a fair bit of upside still assuming they are able to thrive in the Old Trafford environment.
Regardless of who is brought in to try and fill the void left by Scholes, which is not possible, he will be sorely missed. His time at United was brilliant and he was a loyal servant to the club the entire time which is something that seems to be lost these days. It is also noteworthy that Scholes will be missed as a role model to the players out there who are not your typically athletes. Scholes was undersized, has asthma, and other issues but he never let that stop him from making it to the very top. Just like Gary Neville he made a made for himself through nothing more then hard work and that will just be one part of his legacy to me.
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