England and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says he ‘knew it was the end’ for his playing career after being exposed by former Tottenham star Gareth Bale during the 2012-23 season.
Scholes was one of United’s best and most consistent players for almost two decades after breaking into the first-team in the early 1990s and made over 700 appearances for his boyhood club.
The legendary midfielder lifted ten Premier League trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson and won the Champions League twice before retiring in 2011.
But Scholes was convinced to come out of retirement less than 12 months later and played one more season for Manchester United before hanging up his boots for good in May 2013.
Scholes says it was a ‘mistake’ to agree to return and ‘knew’ it was time for him to step aside after a particularly humbling afternoon against Tottenham star Bale, who had become one of the most devastating players in the Premier League and would soon join Real Madrid in a deal worth £85m.
‘I actually thought the first time I retired would be the end,’ Scholes, who earned 66 caps for England, said on the Football’s Greatest podcast.
‘I came back for six months originally and then the manager [Ferguson] wanted me to stay for another season and I think that was a mistake.
‘I think it was the first home game of my last season, against Tottenham. I remember I didn’t actually play that badly but I remember playing against Gareth Bale.
‘Now this could have happened to me when I was 21 but he was just starting to burst and he was flying. I remember him going past me two or three times and I knew I couldn’t compete with that, I had absolutely no chance.
‘I was in the ice bath later and I could’ve been in there for two days, I could barely move for three or four days.
‘That’s when I knew that was the end. It was a mistake to play that season.
‘It was a special moment (to come on for his final game) but I didn’t really want it, I wanted to go away quietly. I didn’t even want to play the last game and even that confirmed I was doing the right thing.’
Scholes is often named by former players as one of the best midfielders of his generation, with all-time great Zinedine Zidane previously describing him as ‘the complete midfielder’.
The Old Trafford hero recently named the five toughest opponents from his legendary Manchester United career.
‘I played against some incredible teams,’ Scholes told Sky Bet’s The Overlap. ‘Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. There’s [three] straight away.
‘I want to pick midfield players. Zidane… and I love R9 (Ronaldo). I know he’s a centre-forward but… Brazilian Ronaldo.’
Since retiring, Scholes has become a well-respected football pundit, working on BT Sport – now TNT Sports – and Premier League Productions.
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