England’s midfielders should take a leaf out of Paul Scholes’ book when they lock horns with France on Saturday night.
It’s one of the first times that the Three Lions have faced their Channel neighbours at a major tournament since Scholes dropped an absolute masterclass at Euro 2004.
In fact, the Manchester United icon provided something of a template that Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson should probably their best to follow more than 18 years later.
Scholes might ultimately have ended up on the losing side of that particular clash with Les Bleus, courtesy of Zinedine Zidane‘s last-grasp brace, but he still left a rather large impression on his opponents.
What did Zidane say about Scholes?
Even ‘Zizou’ himself was happy to admit how much of a fan of Scholes he really was and clearly going head-to-head with the England stalwart at the Estádio da Luz played a role in that.
According to the Daily Mail, Zidane told the Mirror in 2010: “There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does.
Zinedine Zidane – France in action against Paul Scholes – England
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Michael Regan
“I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.”
“He was an extremely tough opponent to play against,” Zidane added. “You didn’t get any time on the ball when he was around. He would close you down and make your life terribly uncomfortable.
“He is the type of player you want on your side, not in opposition because he could do so much damage. He is very gifted. He makes the game look easy because he’s so much natural ability.”
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So although it was ultimately Zidane who had the last laugh at Euro 2004 with a sumptuous free-kick and penalty in stoppage time, make no mistake that he wasn’t the only midfield wizard at work that night.
How did Scholes play vs France?
As such, with England hyping themselves up to go toe-to-toe with France on the biggest stage of all, there’s arguably never been a better time to relive and rewatch Scholes’ supreme display.
And courtesy of YouTuber ‘markg541’, we can watch the full extent of Scholes pulling the strings for the Three Lions in the form of his individual highlights, so be sure to check them out below:
Video: Scholes’ supreme highlights vs France at Euro 2004
What a complete performance.
It really is just a pleasure to watch Scholes doing what he does best: getting himself amongst the action in the middle of the park, spraying passes all over the pitch and making the entire team tick.
It makes you wonder what might have been had Scholes not taken the decision to retire from the international game after that very tournament, meaning that his France masterclass endures as one of his final ever England outings.
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However, while 18 years might have passed, Scholes’ superb display up against Zidane and France can still serve as inspiration for the England stars following in his footsteps this weekend.
If Bellingham, Rice and Henderson can play half as well as Scholes did all those years ago then you can rest assured that England, if nothing else, will dominate the midfield against Les Bleus.
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