George Best Praised Paul Scholes After England Retirement at 29

· GiveMeSport

George Best claimed Man Utd icon Paul Schoes, who retired too early, was England's 'best player'.

Across the history of British football, many outstanding players have emerged. Among the very best is Manchester United legend George Best.

The Northern Irishman is among only six Brits to win the fabled Ballon d'Or . In 1968 he won the European Cup, while also securing two league championships, helping establish him as one of the standout players ever to wear the Red Devils shirt .

The larger-than-life Best, who passed away in November 2005 at the age of 58, has a statue outside Man Utd's Old Trafford alongside Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. Known as the 'Holy Trinity', all three iconic forwards won the Ballon d'Or award during the 1960s.

George Best: Manchester United Stats

- Appearances 470 - Goals 179 - Assists 61 - First Division Titles 2 - European Cups 1

As such, it's fair to say Best knew a thing or two about talent within the beautiful game. One player he clearly rated was fellow United icon Paul Scholes .

Ferguson was blown away by the 'fantastic' footballer.

In 2004, Scholes decided to retire from international duty. He'd played 66 times for the Three Lions, having made his debut in 1997. England had just competed at Euro 2004, losing at the quarter-final stage to Portugal.

He featured from the start in every match, but was deployed on the left of midfield as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard preferred centrally. The Man Utd midfielder, explaining his decision to retire from England at 29, said:

"This is a decision I have not taken lightly." He added: "I have been considering retiring from international football for a while."

Paul Scholes: Premier League Stats

- Appearances 499 - Goals 107 - Assists 55 - Player of the Month Awards 4 - Premier League Titles 11

There were claims that he didn't see eye to eye with then-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, but Scholes insisted he just wanted to spend more time with his family. While maintaining that explanation, Scholes later admitted that he had some regrets about the choice. In 2020, he said:

> "I had a young family at the time and going away for England for ten days at a time, sometimes six weeks in the summer, it just wasn’t ideal and I wasn’t enjoying it. I know a lot was made of Sven-Goran Eriksson playing me on the left-hand side of midfield but that was never the problem.

> "My form in the last 20 or 30 caps wasn’t quite good enough and Steven and Frank were two top-class players who he went with centrally. I was on the left but I played there many times for United and was quite successful there, scored a few goals so it was never really why I left England. It was just a personal choice.

> "I do regret leaving England so soon. I went back to United and my football changed. I had been a player who was expected to score goals all the time for England, which I was judged on."

He also described how moving into a deeper role at Old Trafford helped him prolong his playing career:

> "Sir Alex Ferguson saw that he wanted me to play well into my 30s, and I needed a different position. I moved back and controlled games from midfield, sitting deep, and I was never that player for England."

Having called it quits with England at just 29 years old, many were disappointed by Scholes' call. Among those was the aforementioned Best, who insisted that the Man Utd midfielder was, at the time, the best player in the country :

> "To be honest I think England have lost their best player. Certainly he's the most consistent and naturally gifted player we've had for a long, long time.

> "He will leave a void that's difficult to fill."

Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to accept Scholes' choice to step away from international football. Ferguson explained his view at the time:

> "It's straightforward - he wants to spend more time with his family.

> "I spoke to Paul nearly a year ago about it when he came to see me and wanted to think about it. "At the end of the season before he left he said he'd speak to Sven about it and he did that and he's come to his decision.

> "Paul has made a great contribution to England and I don't think he feels he's missing anything now. I think 66 caps is beyond an average international career, he is going out at the top and we respect his decision."

His final Man Utd appearance came in May 2013, close to a decade after he had retired from England duty.

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