May 28, 2011. What was otherwise an entirely forgettable day for the Men from Manchester, equally so for us fans, was the source of a memory that I'll treasure for years to come. Paul Scholes played the last few minutes of an illustrious career, and at the final whistle, two of the most rated Footballers in the world clamoured for his jersey. That, thought I didn't know it then, was Curtains on a brilliant, record-breaking career; Curtains on a tremendous 17 years of service, Curtains on the exploits of the greatest player I ever did see.
I started watching Football seriously, quite late compared to a lot of my peers, 2001 or so. The 02-03 season was probably the first I saw in entirety. United had a rousing fightback to reclaim their Premier League throne and Paul Scholes was at the forefront. One of the most lasting memories of that season is that of the hat-trick at St. James' park in a 6-2 whalloping of Newcastle. A brilliant right footed volley, then a trademark drive from the edge of the box, and a finish from close-in to complete it. For a kid searching for a footballing hero, I had found Scholes.
Over the next 9 years, Scholes was the provider of many, many magical moments. The one-touch jabs, the jaw-dropping cross-field long balls, the dummies, the dribbling, and the goals. Oh, the goals! A clip of Scholes scoring feats would make a veritable highlight reel of goals - the long range drives - the Bradford City screamer, the Chelsea drive, crazy skills in the box against Blackburn, the Barcelona stunner to put us through, and then, the Aston Villa one. Everytime I look at the strike, I can't believe that it went in. Perfection if there ever was.
But the reason I rate Paul Scholes so highly is not just for the goals he scored, or the skills on display. Scholesy was a fighter through and through. People wrote him off and he bounced back. When Seba came, they said he would be shunted out. When, he had the eye-injury, they said his career was over. Every time, he roared back. Paul Scholes wasn't blessed with just an astute footballing brain, but had the rare ability to adapt to the changing game. When the goals started drying up, and the pace dropped, Scholes was reborn as an all-controlling midfield maestro, pulling all the right strings. To say that he orchestrated United's 06-07 title run wouldn't be exaggerating. He moulded his game, and changed from a goal-scoring machine to a creater extraordinaire.
Another reason, and this has been stated to death everwhere, is the man's attitude towards the game. Always understanding that the Game was far superior to the individual, Scholes was not one for the spotlight. Always unassuming, he made reticence his middle name. A personal life free of dirt, Scholes was and remains the quintessential family man. As he himself said, an ideal day was "train in the morning, pick up my children from school, play with them, have tea, put them to bed and then watch a bit of TV". For someone to maintain that in an era of Footballing excesses, where the fight for the public eye far overshadows the fight on the pitch, Scholes remains a rare entity, and deserves all the plaudits he receives.
Of course, he wasn't perfect. And, if I may be so bold, that makes him more of a person. Ask a detractor about Scholes, and they will always mention the tackling. Agreed. Paul Scholes was a bad tackler. But to define his game by the tackles is an attitude far beyond cynical. Personally, late as he mostly was, I never felt a hint of malice; and Paul Scholes - a dirty footballer is laughable to me. Honestly, to keep harping on about the tackilng is to deprive yourself of everything else that he brought to the table, and I'm sure - you aren't doing yourself any favours.
Why then, do I love Scholesy so much? Football, and sports in general have been defined as defence mechanisms - an unconscious attempt you make to protect yourself. To me, Football is still an escape. 90 minutes of forgetting all the cares in the world, and being one with your team. 90 minutes where you have these warriors on the field playing for you, representing you, willing to kick-ass and get kicked - FOR YOU. That is perhaps why you invest so much into the game, and love it for the ride that it is.
And so, to Scholesy, thank you for taking my side on the pitch. Thank you for being there over the years. Thank You for providing a vent, for being an inspiration. It's been 6 months - and I miss you not being there every game. Fare Well, old friend!
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