Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have opened up on their recent experiences of trying to get tickets to watch their former club at Old Trafford
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes has spoken about using a ticket tout(Image: The Good the Bad & the Football podcast)
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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that he was forced to turn to a tout to get tickets for a match at Old Trafford. Scholes is one of United’s greatest ever players, but he claims that so much has changed at the club since he retired that he wouldn’t know who to contact to source legitimate tickets.
The midfielder made 718 appearances for United after coming through the academy. He helped the club win 25 major trophies, including 11 Premier League titles during an era of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson, but he feels disconnected from the current era.
Scholes discussed the situation with his former United team-mate Nicky Butt on The Good, the Bad & the Football podcast. Butt was also a part of the famous Class of 92 group of players, which also included the Neville brothers, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, and has similar feelings and experiences.
“It's a very different football club to the club we knew,” Scholes said. “I don't know about you Nicky, you worked there quite recently, but I don't really know anybody there.”
Butt replied: “I don't know anybody there.” Scholes then said: “If I wanted a ticket, I wouldn’t know who to phone. I’ve been asked for a couple of tickets but didn’t know where to go.
“I have four season tickets so we use them, my son uses them every single week. But you get people asking (for tickets). I've had a Salford lad who wants to go to the game this week, a couple of tickets. So I've had to ring a tout. Am I allowed to say that? Honestly, I know a tout. I just don’t know anybody at the club!”
Butt then relayed a story in which he claims United threatened to take a season ticket away from him because it hadn’t been used frequently enough. “My lad has got the same thing, and if you don't use them three times you get them taken off you,” he said.
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have had issues with tickets recently
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“I've had an email saying ‘you're having your ticket taken off you’. So I rang them up and said ‘can I speak to somebody about this please?’ And it’s just a switchboard, so they might not be a football fan, and they go ‘who am I speaking to please?’, and I go ‘Nicky Butt’ and they go, ‘OK, well who's that?’ I didn’t say it but I feel like saying ‘I played like 450 games for this club and I won about seven titles’ but it is a different world. I wouldn’t know where to go.”
Mirror Football has contacted Manchester United to request comment. Scholes went on to stress that he doesn’t expect preferential treatment just because he’s an ex-player.
“I'm not complaining about that,” he said. “That's just the way it is and the way it happens. Just because you played for the club, you're not entitled to stuff.”
Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville of Manchester United
The duo are part of a legendary group of ex-Manchester United players
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An exasperated Paddy McGuinness responded: “Hang on a minute! The amount of games you played, your life long service as a player for United, you gave everything to the club.”
Scholes replied: “Yeah but we only played for them. You're going back 13 years now for the last time I played. We don't mind paying for them, we just don't know who to ring because the club is just different, it's a different football club.”
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