Manchester United player profile - Paul Scholes

Paul Aaron Scholes, better known as Paul Scholes Manchester United and England footballer, was born on 16 November 1974 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Growing up in Manchester Paul Scholes was a promising young footballer who first began training with Manchester United at the age of fourteen. As a schoolboy Paul Scholes represented Great Britain national schools in football before offically joining Manchester United as a trainee in 1991. Paul Scholes turned professional with Manchester United in the summer of 1993 and then broke into the senior squad the following 04/05 season. Paul Scholes senior debut came on 21 September 1994 in a League Cup match against Port Vale, Manchester United won the match 2-1 with Paul Scholes scoring both goals. In all Paul Scholes made 17 appearances and scored 5 goals in his first season with the Premiership side.

During the 95/96 season circumstances allowed Paul Scholes to cement his position in the Manchester United starting line-up, these being the departure of Mark Hughes and the lengthy suspension of Eric Cantona. By the end of the season Paul Scholes had won his first medals with Manchester United as they did the English double winning the 1996 Premiership and FA Cup. Paul Scholes' England debut came in 1997 in a friendly against South Africa, he was then included in the England squad for the France 1998 World Cup Finals. The next milestone in the international career of Paul Scholes came on 27 March 1999 when he scored a hat-trick against Poland. At club level Paul Scholes picked up a number of medals with Manchester United throughout the 90's and was part of the historic treble winning side of 98/99 as they won the English Premiership, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, although he was suspended for the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich.

Paul Scholes achieved more landmarks in his career during the 00's including making his 500th appearance for Manchester United in 2006 and winning both the UEFA Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup in 2008. Paul Scholes was part of the England squad for Euro 2000 in Belgium and The Netherlands, the 2002 South Korea/Japan World Cup Finals and Euro 2004 in Portugal, he then retired from international football in August 2004 citing his family life and club career as being more important. Paul Scholes later resisted attempts by successive England managers to coax him back to the national side.