Gerrard, Lampard eller Scholes?

Lionel Messi: “At La Masia, his name was mentioned a lot. He’s a teacher.”

Cesc Fabregas: “He is the one whose level I aspire to. He is the best player in the Premier League.”

Patrick Vieira: “The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy. Scholes.”

Cristiano Ronaldo: “Scholes is the best I’ve played with and he helped me a lot when I was young. He’s amazing.”

Zinedine Zidane: “Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.”

Luis Figo: “I’m star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch you can’t catch him. Off the pitch he disappears.”

Edgar Davids: “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.”

Ronaldinho: “I want to pass like him. Who taught him how to do that?”

Wayne Rooney: “The best I’ve played with, no question. His touch, passing, vision, composure is outstanding. I try to copy him.”

Roy Keane: “No celebrity bullshit, no self promotion, an amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being.”

Zinedine Zidane: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.”

Andrei Shevchenko: “They have two of the world’s best young players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but the player who most impresses me is Paul Scholes. He is United’s most important player, he makes most things happen on the field.”

Thierry Henry: “Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes."

Xavi Hernandez: “In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes."

Gary Neville: “I wouldn’t swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best.”

David Beckham: “He’s always one of those people others talk about. Even playing at Real Madrid, the players always say to me ‘what’s he like’? They respect him as a footballer and see him as the ultimate.”

Rio Ferdinand: “For me, it’s Paul Scholes. He’ll do ridiculous things in training like say, “You see that tree over there?” – It’ll be 40 yards away – “I’m going to hit it”. And he’ll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best.”

Fabio Capello: “It’s a shame he’s not available to play for England. If he was, he’d be the first name in my squad.”

Marcello Lippi: “Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team."

Pep Guardiola: “Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes – he is the best midfielder of his generation"