Paul Scholes hardly gave an interview in his whole career and never seemed bothered by the silence. He let his passing speak instead, and it had plenty to say. Sixty-yard balls landed on a teammate's boot about as casually as a text message lands on a phone.
The praise came from the people best placed to judge. Xavi, Iniesta and Zidane all named him the best midfielder they had seen. Xavi put it plainly, calling Scholes 'the best central midfielder I have seen in the last 15 to 20 years'.
A one-club man in Manchester
- 11 Premier League titles with Manchester United
- Long-range passing that players and coaches rated the best in world football
- A comeback from retirement in 2012, aged 37, after which he still looked one of the best midfielders in the league
- No other club on the CV. He stayed at United and won everything there was to win
He was never loud about any of it. While other players shouted, Scholes kept moving the ball, and the game tended to go where he sent it.
When the best midfielders in the world pick you as the best they have seen, the argument is mostly settled. The quietest man in the dressing room, and perhaps the most underrated genius the Premier League has had, opens our list.
Tomorrow: number 29.
