Diego Forlan Says Paul Scholes Is the Best Player He Ever Played Alongside

Former Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Inter and Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has been asked the question all players with his CV are asked: Who was the best you ever played with?

Speaking to Fox Sports Radio (via Goal.com), the 36-year-old identified former Red Devils teammate Paul Scholes, "the ginger fella," as his answer.

Scholes beat some quite handy competition to the accolade. Forlan has played alongside Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo during his career.

And he's not the first to sing the praises of Scholes, as this selection of quotes from Project Babb show:

• Zinedine Zidane: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder.”
• Pep Guardiola: “Out of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes—he is the best midfielder of his generation. I would have loved to have played alongside him.”
• Sir Bobby Charlton: “I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite.”
• Thierry Henry: “I can’t understand why Scholes has never won the Player of the Year award. He should have won it long ago. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t seek the limelight like some of the other ‘stars’."
• Xavi: “In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen—the most complete—is Scholes. I have spoken with Xabi Alonso about this many times. Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything. He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn’t give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more.”
• Gary Neville: “I wouldn’t swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best.”

[Goal.com]