He played for 16 years at the highest standard and won every honour available to him bar international accolades, which unfortunately passed him by. His international career ended early and only earned 66 caps, which he could have quite easily added to, had he decided not to retire.
His England tenure ended abruptly after Euro 2004, when then England manager Sven Goran Eriksson, forced Scholes to play on the left side of midfield to make way for the central midfield partnership of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, one of the biggest insults to one of our finest ever players. Fabio Capello admired the player so much, that just before naming his final 23 man squad for the 2010 World Cup; he attempted to convince the player out of retirement, which Scholes turned down.
"The Ginger Prince" in many people's eyes, and mine included, is the best English player of the last 15 years. He was different and unique in his own right. You could say he was un-English in the way he played football. Hence why he is so appreciated by so many foreign players. England has not had a player quite like it for many years - Jack Wilshere is a real talent and shares Scholes tenacity, but it is not clear whether he has the same long range passing ability as the former Manchester United player.
Scholes' main attribute was his passing but he possessed other qualities too. He was tenacious and even though he never quite learnt how to tackle efficiently (10 red cards in total) this didn't stop him from becoming a fine centre midfielder. He could hit a ball as hard as anyone but it was the way he did it with such control and precision that helped him score 102 goals for United. He scored all types of goals -Headers, tap ins, long rangers and volleys - he has scored every type of goal any player could.
Some believe that the time is right and that Scholes is past his best, which is a tad harsh considering he hasn't had to adapt his game to prolong his career like other players, Ryan Giggs to note. He has always played the same way and with such grace. A real pleasure to watch. You could even say that his chances were limited this season due to the failings of Sir Alex Ferguson to secure better suited partners for the Englishmen. Scholes worked best when alongside a ball winning midfielder, such as Roy Keane.
His ability has not gone unnoticed in the world of football, with many of today's current and former players singing his praises. ZinedineZidane labelled him as the 'greatest midfielder of our generation' and Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona, who he came up against albeit briefly at the weekend, laid further praise by adding 'In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen, the most complete, is Scholes.'
He was adored by many and this was largely down to the way he played the game. His clean image off the pitch and his shyness in front of camera also, helped him enjoy positive media coverage.He has played in three different decade, where football has transformed drastically and he has not looked out of place once.
Scholes final outing as a professional footballer may not have ended how he would have liked it to, but it was fitting that it was against a superb Barcelona side whose style of football could quite easily accommodate Scholes himself.
Jamie Clarke
You can follow Jamie on Twitter @jamiejourno
Source: DSG