An athlete’s level of greatness is often measured by the opinions of his
or her peers while they’re playing and especially when they retire.
Being recognized as one of the best by those who understand what it
takes is rare. This week, one of the world’s greatest soccer players of
the last 30 years retired, yet he could walk down most streets in
America without being recognized.
After 17 seasons, Paul Scholes of
Manchester United played in his final tribute game last week and will
become a coach at the club he’s been part of since his teens.
While
not a household name in the U.S. like Messi or Ronaldo or Beckham, he
has earned the respect of the greatest players of his time.
“My
toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester,” said Zinedine Zidane, French
World Cup Winner and 3-time world player of the year. “He is the
complete midfielder. He’s almost untouchable in what he does.You rarely
come across the complete player, but Scholes is as close to it as you
can get.”
“In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder
that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes,” said Xavi
Hernandez, Barcelona midfield maestro, arguably the best midfielder in
the world at the moment. “Scholes is a spectacular player who has
everything. He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he
never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn’t give possession away.”
“He’s
always one of those people others talk about,” said David Beckham,
world soccer icon and a former teammate. “Even when playing at Real
Madrid, the players always said to me ‘what’s he like’? They respect him
as a footballer and see him as the ultimate.”
So, what makes him
different? What is the secret ingredient that makes a few soccer
players better than the thousands that come and go? Obviously, many
clubs would pay huge sums of money to find out. Recently, two teams of
researchers from the University of Queensland tried to narrow down the
options.
