THE HUMBLE CREATIVE
At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, just after halftime, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were returning to their seats. Both were wearing suits; neither had been selected with Fergie casting a wary eye, at least in Scholes’ case, on Tuesday’s Champions League game against Barcelona. Predictably enough, great swathes of abuse rose up from the stands, from the big naked bellies of West London dads, from the well-spoken mouths of those with fathers’ rich enough to buy season tickets for their sons. But the abuse was aimed only at Neville, and mostly at his new moustache. Not a word could be heard of Scholes, save for the odd hushed whisper: “Great player, that fella,” or “nice if he played for us”…
What isn’t to like about Paul Scholes? Perhaps if we knew the first bit about him, if he’d ever opened up to the cameras, if we’d even heard him speak, then we might have reason not to like him. Nationwide contempt for Gary Neville only increased after he officially elected himself Chief Spokesman for England and Manchester United not long ago; so perhaps Scholes – who would have seen his colleague’s unpopularity grow with every outburst as they rose through the ranks together at United – learned something from his club captain’s use of words: the more you talk, the more unpopular you become. It certainly seems to make sense. The diminutive Scholes, who is said to have never talked at all, is perhaps the most popular English footballer of the last twenty years.
With Scholes, though, you just know that his shyness has nothing to do with his desire to save face. He cares not a smidgen what we think. The only thing that seems to matter for Paul Scholes is his family and what happens on the pitch, either for United or for his beloved Oldham Athletic. But his attitude and loyalty are not the only reasons he escaped the pies hurled from the stands on Saturday. More than that, it’s his ability that he’ll be most fondly remembered for, his little turns, his pure passing, his subtlety of thought and, of course, something we were all beginning to think he had lost: that hammer of a right foot. All of this, bundled up in that lovable ginger frame, and - whatever your team - you surely smiled, just a little, for Paul Scholes last night.
With Scholes, though, you just know that his shyness has nothing to do with his desire to save face. He cares not a smidgen what we think. The only thing that seems to matter for Paul Scholes is his family and what happens on the pitch, either for United or for his beloved Oldham Athletic. But his attitude and loyalty are not the only reasons he escaped the pies hurled from the stands on Saturday. More than that, it’s his ability that he’ll be most fondly remembered for, his little turns, his pure passing, his subtlety of thought and, of course, something we were all beginning to think he had lost: that hammer of a right foot. All of this, bundled up in that lovable ginger frame, and - whatever your team - you surely smiled, just a little, for Paul Scholes last night.
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Interviewer: "Paul, what's your perfect day?
Paul: "Wake up, take the kids to school, go to training, pick up the kids from school, watch telly, go bed."