New summer signing Andrey Santos left out former England and Manchester United player Paul Scholes from his picks for the five best midfielders in football history.
Paul Scholes is regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time and the 51-year-old Manchester United legend carved out a remarkable playing spell at Old Trafford.
Man Utd’s ‘Class of ‘92’ star was a linchpin midfield influence under Sir Alex Ferguson and retired for the final time after the Red Devils’ last Premier League title win.
Speaking to Pro Direct Soccer’s French TikTok page, Andrey Santos revealed the five midfielders that he would put ahead of former United star Scholes in his rankings.
IF Andrey Santos is available to play Wrexham, who would you like to see him start alongside out of the available options?
Andrey Santos is training already!
5. Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure was a frustrating player to watch for Manchester United fans, both during his time at La Liga side Barcelona and Premier League club Manchester City.
The 43-year-old former Ivory Coast midfielder played a key role under Pep Guardiola in Barcelona’s 2009 Champions League final win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd side.
Yaya Toure later played a major role for Man City during their Premier League title-winning rise during the 2010s, including lifting the trophy three times with the club.
4. Casemiro
Casemiro recently made his exit from Old Trafford and the 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder made the move to MLS outfit Inter Miami on a free transfer.
The former Manchester United star was a world-class midfielder in his prime and hoovered up the major silverware during his time at La Liga side Real Madrid.
Casemiro won three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues and a Copa del Rey before he left Los Blancos and made his move to Man Utd during Erik ten Hag’s reign.
3. Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos played alongside Casemiro in the heart of the Real Madrid midfield, as well as forging a formidable partnership with former teammate Luka Modric.
The Red Devils were heavily linked with the former Los Blancos and Germany midfielder during David Moyes’ reign in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
However, Toni Kroos opted not to make the transfer to Man Utd while he was at Bayern Munich and the 36-year-old German moved to Madrid in 2014 instead.
What did YOU make of Andrey Santos’ pre-season debut for Man Utd vs Wrexham?
Santos played 45 minutes in the first half…
2. Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets was a key part of one of the most impactful midfield trios in history after his pivotal role alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barcelona.
Man Utd fans were all too familiar with the influence of Sergio Busquets after he featured in both Champions League final wins for Barcelona against the Red Devils.
Busquets, who is one of the best defensive midfielders in history, was most recently at Inter Miami before the 2010 World Cup winner retired from football in 2025.
1. Zinedine Zidane
A man who needs no introduction — someone who oozes football royalty — France icon Zinedine Zidane was the No 1 pick of Man Utd summer signing Andrey Santos.
Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time and the former Juventus and Madrid midfielder had a remarkable playing career.
The Red Devils were all too familiar with his world-class talents after Ferguson’s men crossed paths with Zidane during his time at both Juventus and Los Blancos.
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