During his 20-year Manchester United career, Paul Scholes was the type to shun the spotlight and let his football do the talking.
By the time he hung up his boots in 2013, Scholes had shared the Red Devils midfield alongside the likes of David Beckham, Roy Keane, Christian Ronaldo and plenty more modern-day legends.
One player he never lined up alongside was Zinedine Zidane, the French World Cup winner and former Juventus and Real Madrid legend, who placed Scholes’ contribution to the game above all of the Salford-born star’s former Old Trafford team-mates.
Nicky Butt on Zinedine Zidane’s admiration of Paul Scholes
Zidane was regarded as one of the finest players of his - or any - generation and has been quick to sing Scholes’ praises on a number of occasions, with the Ballon d’Or winner admitting that he was a ‘complete midfielder’, who was his toughest opponent and the one player he regrets never playing with.
These compliments have left Scholes’ former team-mate Nicky Butt more than impressed.
"Scholesy was a phenomenal footballer and when people of that ilk say things like that about you, it’s not just some s**t player, is it?,” Butt tells FourFourTwo.
“It’s probably one of the best midfielders ever to play the game. And it’s not only Zidane that said it, a few other players have as well. Scholesy was up there with the best.”
Scholes, however, is typically coy with his response.
“A lot of people have told me he said that, although I don’t think there’s any proof of it?,” he asks. “I don’t know.
‘It’s nice, of course it is, when people like that say things. Zidane was the best, probably the best player we ever played against.
“If people say nice things about you, it’s embarrassing at times, but nice to hear.”
The Good, The Bad & The Football with Scholes, Butt and McGuinness is a new weekly video podcast, available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube
