"To play against that is no fun" - Manchester United legend Paul Scholes names toughest matches of his career
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named the two-legged semi-final clash against Barcelona in the 2007-08 Champions League season as the two toughest matches of his career.
In the latest episode of BT Sport's 'What I Wore' series, the former midfielder recalled his and the side's ordeal over the course of 180 minutes of those games.
Manchester United won the tie 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a superb strike from Scholes himself at Old Trafford, but he feels it wasn't easy going up against Frank Rijkaard's star-studded side.
When Manchester United's iconic red shirt from 2007-2009 was picked off the rails, the discussion inevitably steered towards that game, for Scholes scored the greatest goal of his career in one of them.
"Two of the hardest games I've ever had in my life."
"All I saw was the back of their shirt for 180 minutes apart from one kick!"
An iconic #UCL semi-final goal vs Barca, or a "miskick"? 😂
#WhatIWore x Paul Scholes drops tomorrow at 12pm! https://t.co/Z0tfOR6sXM
Later, when pressed about the famous 2008 clash with the Catalans, he said:
"Hard. Two of the hardest games I've ever had in my life. Both legs. The team was ridiculous.
"As a midfield player, to play against that is no fun, trust me. Just chasing them around. That's all I saw, the back of that [Barcelona shirt] for 180 minutes apart from one kick."
Barcelona's side featured legends like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Samuel Eto'o, Carles Puyol and Gianluca Zambrotta among others.
The sides played out a goalless stalemate at the Camp Nou, where Cristiano Ronaldo also missed a penalty.
But in the return leg, Scholes fired home a 14th-minute screamer that was enough to send Manchester United into the final, which they later won after beating Chelsea in Moscow.
Barcelona, however, exacted revenge just a year later, beating Sir Alex Ferguson's side 2-0 in the final, before repeating the trick in 2011.
Scholes' goal against Barcelona for Manchester United was one of the greatest in Champions League history
Scholes retired with 155 goals to his name in all competitions, including 24 in the Champions League.
His long-range wowzer against Barcelona, though, stands out as not only one of his greatest strikes, but also one of the greatest in the competition's history.
12 years ago today, Paul Scholes did THIS against Barcelona 🤯🚀
https://t.co/gEwbcZTczB
A poor clearance from Zambrotta landed the ball right at his feet, and after taking a touch, Scholes let rip an unstoppable volley into the far corner.
Power, technique, and accuracy - everything about the goal was top-notch; perfectly summing up the Manchester United star and his outstanding ability back in the day.