Paul Scholes, born Salford, England, November 16, 1974. Paul Scholes agreed professional terms with his local team Manchester United on the 23rd of January 1993. A hard working and strong running midfielder, Scholes was given his Premier League debut for United by Old Trafford manager Alex Ferguson in a narrow 3–2 defeat against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on the 24th of September 1994.
Paul Scholes followed up by helping Manchester United to reach the FA Cup Final the next year only to suffer a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton. After his breakthrough during the 1994-95 campaign, however, the dynamic box-to-box playmaker eventually established himself as one of the greatest footballers to ever wear the famous English red shirt of the Old Trafford institution. As the decade wore on, Manchester United emerged as the leading team in Europe and the absolute highlight of his club career came when The Reds edged out German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich by a score of 2–1 at the Camp Nou Stadium in the Catalan capital of Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Final on the 26th of May 1999. The Bavarians went into an early lead thanks to an amazing free kick from former Werder Bremen winger Mario Basler after six minutes of play, but with a little as one minute remaining of the final, Jesper Blomquist substitute Teddy Sheringham hit the equaliser for the boys in red shirts before the same man set up Andy Cole replacement Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the winner with just a few seconds left on the Swiss watch of Italian referee Pierluigi Collina. The Mancunian was a driving force in midfield for two decades and his contribution to Sir Alex Ferguson´s team cannot possibly be overestimated. While at Manchester United, the tough little fellow won 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, five FA Community Shields, andf two UEFA Champions League titles, as well as one FIFA World Cup title. Being a long serving club stalwart, Paul Scholes would appear in well over 700 first-team matches for his beloved Manchester United and he made his last appearance for the Old Trafford side in a 5-5 draw to West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on the final day of the 2012-13 season.
An England international, the sweet passing midfield entrepreneur was given his full debut for his homeland as a second-half replacement for Teddy Sheringham in a 2-1 friendly win over South Africa at The Theatre of Dreams on the 24th of May 1997. Arguably, he played one of his greatest games ever wearing The Three Lions emblem of the Football Association in the 5-1 World Cup Qualifier success against Germany at Olympiastadion in the city of Munich on the 1st of September 2001. Bursting with energy and stamina, Scholes proceeded to play a total of 66 games for England and the personification of human fitness represented his country in two World Cups and two European Championships during his long international career. The Germans opened the scoring account thanks to a close range effort from Bayern Munich striker Carsten Jancker after just six minutes of action, only for Liverpool´s Michael Owen to level the score as he volleyed the ball past Bayern Munich custodian Oliver Kahn and into the back of the net seven minutes later in the game before fellow Anfield teammate Steven Gerrard hammered home from 25 yards out to give the the guests a 2-1 lead in second-half stoppage time. Then, only three minutes after the restart, Owen registered his second goal of the World Cup Qualifier fixture in the capital of Bavaria when the meilleur marqueur extraordinaire put the ball past Kahn and into right hand corner of the net. Die Mannschaft pressed hard for a goal, but it was The Three Lions who scored yet again through Owen who completed his treble a few minutes past the hour mark when he stormed into the penalty box and powered the ball over Kahn to make the scoreboard at the Olympic Stadium read 4-1 in favour of the visitors. And about a quarter of an hour before the final whistle was blown by referee Pierluigi Collina, the visiting team extended their lead to 5-1 thanks to a well placed shot from inside the 18-yard area by Liverpool forward Emile Heskey. Paul Scholes Playing Career: Manchester United.