In February 2011, Barcelona midfielder Xavi rated Scholes as the best player in his position in the past two decades, stating, "A role model. For me, and I really mean this, he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. He's spectacular, he has it all, the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him." This sentiment was echoed by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who considered Scholes to be the best midfielder of his generation. Andrea Pirlo included Paul Scholes in his Champions league dream team. Pirlo remarked, while discussing Scholes' inclusion, "The truly great English midfield player of the generation. Didn't just play the game, he thought about the game. You could see every pass, every decision, was based on his intelligence and understanding". The former Juventus and A.C. Milan midfielder, speaking ahead of the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, further elaborated on his admiration for Scholes, "I have been so fortunate to have played with so many incredible players throughout my career, but if I could pick one that I never got the chance to play with, it would be Paul Scholes. One of the all-time greats. A genius on the field, but private – no circus around him off it. I have a lot of respect for him." Gareth Southgate said, "You've got very good players and then there are top players. In my time in the England setup, Paul Gascoigne, Paul Scholes and [Wayne] Rooney just had that little bit more than all the others. And we are talking high‑level people there, players like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and David Beckham."
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