Paul Scholes is no stranger to praise. Famously, he is the midfielder admired by so many greats of the same era, with Zinedine Zidane once calling it a personal 'regret' that they never played together.
Most notably winning 11 Premier League titles and one Champions League during his time at Manchester United, the Englishman reached the pinnacle of club football during his time with the Red Devils. As such he played alongside many fantastic footballers.
All great teams need stable defences to attain a high level of success at Scholes was certainly aided by many reliable backlines during his career. He played with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Denis Irwin, Patrice Evra, Jaap Stam and Gary Pallister – not to mention Engand stars John Terry, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell.
When talking about who was the best in the air, however, he also overlooked those men – plus attackers like Cristiano Ronaldo – to praise one brilliant centre-back.
Paul Scholes Blown Away By Nemanja Vidic
"He always had a great ability to head the ball"
Speaking in 2016, Scholes would name the one former teammate who simply never got beaten in the air at Old Trafford. He recalled how Nemanja Vidic worked hard on his game to make him the very best when it came to the particular skill:
"Every time I walked past the gym, I would see Nemanja in there lifting weights. He turned himself into a big, strong centre-half who was capable of knocking strikers out of the way. He always had a great ability to head the ball, but allied with his strength he became unbeatable in the air. Throughout his United career, we would play away at difficult grounds and it would be Nemanja heading crosses and set pieces when the team were under pressure."
Scholes with Vidic
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Ferdinand Loved Playing With Vidic
"He was the best partner"
Part of what made Vidic such a good defender during his time at Old Trafford, which saw him lift five Premier League trophies, was his partnership with Ferdinand. Like Scholes, the English defender spoke in the most golwing rerms of his former teammate.
He explained how they develeopd such a good relatoinship on the pitch, saying: "We didn't work on it in training, we could smell each other's movement, you just knew, it was instinct. I knew when he was going to go tight and I'd go round and cover. I knew when he was going to drop off, I'd push in. I knew when he was in a bit of trouble, I'd always hang back and be that safety net for him. He was the best partner and favourite partner I played with."
It certainly was a special era at Man Utd, with players like Scholes, Vidic and Ferdinand bringing a blend of physical and techncial abillty to the pitch, allowing Sir Alex Ferguson's team to achieve so much.
Stats via Transfermarkt