TNT Sports pundit Paul Scholes did not pick out a single former Manchester United teammate or Red Devils legend for the best striker in the history of football.
Paul Scholes shared the pitch with a roster of star-studded strikers during his prolific Manchester United playing career under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
The 50-year-old crossed paths with fellow United legends like Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole during his prominence in the Red Devils first team.
Scholes rose through the ranks of the United youth academy in the 1990s and went on to become a linchpin midfield figure under ex-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former England international was one of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ stars at United who achieved incredible silverware success during his time at Old Trafford.
Scholes lifted 11 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, three FA Cups and two League Cups with United before he tried for the second time in 2013.
The Red Devils legend, who spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford, was part of the last United team to lift the Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign.
Paul Scholes makes his firm stance on Barcelona legend Lionel Messi after being asked about the ‘GOAT’ striker
Speaking to The Overlap, footballer-turned-pundit Paul Scholes was asked to name the best in the world and the best of all time in different positions on the pitch.
When he was asked about the top striker in the world right now, the former Manchester United midfielder singled out Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe.
Fast-forward from his Kylian Mbappe pick and Scholes turned his attention to the best striker of all time and the former United star had one clear winner in mind.
Scholes revealed that his pick would be none other than Lionel Messi and suggested that he would take ‘GOAT’ status for striker due to his ability to play as a false 9.
When asked to name his pick, Scholes replied: “Have we got Messi as a striker, have we?
“False 9, have we? Yeah, I’m going to say Messi.”
Paul Scholes witnessed first-hand what Barcelona icon Lionel Messi could do as a false nine vs Man Utd
Lionel Messi, who is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, played as a devastating false nine under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
The 37-year-old Argentine forward crossed paths with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side in the 2011 Champions League final and had a real impact in the final third.
Messi played the full 90 minutes and the 2022 World Cup winner scored in the 3-1 Champions League final win for Barcelona at Wembley over the Red Devils.
Scholes, who crossed paths with Messi on the pitch, admitted that it was a daunting experience playing against the Inter Miami superstar in his prime.
“I am not ashamed to admit that in the games against Barcelona I spent a lot of the time just hoping he would take up positions as far away from me as possible,” he wrote in his column for The Independent in 2015.
“Elusive is the word that immediately springs to mind when I think about Messi’s style of play.
“You think you have an eye on him and then – blink – he has gone, only to reappear somewhere else in space, with the ball.
“When you try to face up to him and make a tackle you know what it is he is going to do with the ball. The problem is staying with him.”
Messi has been with current side Inter Miami, which is co-owned by United legend David Beckham, since 2023 after he made his exit from Paris Saint-Germain.
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