Paul Scholes annouce to hang up his boots and his profile

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has announced his retirement from playing but will remain at the club in a coaching capacity.

Scholes, who came through the United academy as part of the club's famous group of youngsters in the mid-1990s, played more than 650 times for the Old Trafford outfit and is widely acknowledged as one of the finest English footballers of his generation.  Here is his profile: 

Full name:           Paul Scholes

Date of birth:     16 November 1974 (age 36)

Place of birth:    Greater Manchester, England

Playing position: Midfielder

Trophies Won: Manchester United

English League: (9) 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012
FA Cup: (3) 1996, 1999, 2004
English League Cup: (2) 2009, 2010
Champions League: (2) 1999, 2008

Scholes was not a member of Manchester United's 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning squad that included future senior teammates David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, but he was part of the youth team that reached the final in the following season, alongside Phil Neville.  Scholes turned professional on 23 July 1993. 

A graduate of the Manchester United youth system and a loyal one-club man, the Salford-born midfielder made a vital contribution in bringing the Champions League trophy back to Old Trafford in 1999. Nine years later, in the same competition, Scholes was reportedly the first name on the United team-sheet for the final against Chelsea in Moscow. In between times, he was once described by Sir Alex Ferguson as ‘our best player'. 

With England, Scholes amassed 66 caps, between 1997 and 2004, when he announced his retirement at international level. Glenn Hoddle, who handed him his England debut, said: ‘He thinks quickly, he's mobile, versatile and always looking for space. The guy oozes confidence.' It is a measure of his value that successive England managers have tried to persuade him to change his mind. 

Each time, however, the diminutive and determined Scholes has refused to budge. England's loss, of course, has been Manchester United's gain. 

France international Patrick Vieira, a combative opponent in many heated tussles with rivals Arsenal, often nominated Scholes as ‘the best passer in English football', a theme echoed by Sir Bobby Charlton , who once said: ‘Paul is always so in control and pin-point accurate with his passing - a beautiful player to watch.' 

His ability to read and then break up the opposition's pattern of play once prompted Sir Alex to describe Scholes as ‘a right nuisance'. Courageous, too. When he had to put his foot in, he was ‘tough and resilient', a player who never shirks a tackle, said Roy Keane, his long-time midfield partner.  

Scholes is an Old Trafford legend, having made 643 appearances for the club as of the end of the 2009-10 season, and Ferguson has showed no signs of losing faith in a player whose sensational ability on the pitch has always been in stark contrast to the unremarkable and modest way he goes about his life off it. Though he still can't tackle, his experience and guile remain valuable assets and he will be sorely missed when he eventually decides to hang up his boots.

Source: www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/,www.soccernet.espn.go.com/