While Man United's Anderson continues to receive plaudits, FFC columnist Rob Swan takes time out to appreciate the contribution that Paul Scholes has made during the last 14 years at Old Trafford.
Has there ever been a player quite like Paul Scholes? A footballer held in the highest regard by his fellow professionals yet never fully appreciated by certain sections of the media. Admired by his own fans, but often overlooked by others.
To some, Scholes is the finest English midfielder of his generation. Over the years his impeccable touch on the ball, his ability to float an immaculate pass to perfection inside the opposition half and his lethal eye for goal has seen the man dubbed the 'Ginger Prince' win fans from football's highest echelon including Pavel Nedved, Cesc Fabregas and Zinedine Zidane.
Like Zidane, Paul Scholes is one of only a select few with the ability to transform the game into an art form. To make football appear so simple is a tell-tale sign of a footballing genius, and Scholes undoubtedly fits comfortably into this category. When he receives the ball it's often noted the amount of time and space he has to look up and pick a pass, even in the middle of a frenetic Premiership match. And that's the beauty of Paul Scholes - he's a master of his trade. For everything he does is uncomplicated but effective, simplified but ultimately, class.
Yet despite an illustrious career spanning 14 seasons, it's always felt like something's been missing, as if the world doesn't know how good a player Scholes has been. Under-appreciated would probably be a more accurate assessment, although not amongst the Manchester United support, who have been fortunate enough to witness Scholes' artistry and genius season after season.
So just why is one of the most technically gifted footballers this country has ever produced still not lauded in the way he should be?
One possible answer is his failure to truly inspire at international level. Scholes ended his England career somewhat prematurely by most people's reckoning, in the aftermath of Euro 2004. At the time, 29-year-old Scholes said that he would be retiring as he felt it was the best decision for himself and his family. No fuss, no bitterness, this was Paul Scholes in a nutshell.
However, had the Manchester United midfielder opted to launch an uncharacteristic attack on the England management, he would have been well within his rights to. Scholes was forced to operate from the left-side of midfield on numerous occasions, a position alien to him. Although hindsight always makes it easier to assess these situations, the England management's unwillingness to deploy Scholes in his natural central midfield role during Euro 2004 was a criminal waste of talent.
His shy and retiring nature could provide the most likely explanation as to why Scholes rarely finds himself propelled into the limelight - he simply doesn't like the attention. In fact, despite almost 15 years playing top-flight football for the most famous football club on the planet, you can probably count the number of television interviews Scholes has been a part of on one hand.
He is the consummate professional. Surrounded by a world of celebrity, Scholes has shown none of that interests him. One T-Shirt sold outside Old Trafford presents an image of the Oldham born United midfielder, next to a motto which encapsulates Scholes' attitude towards what he does perfectly: 'Get up, Go to work, Play the game, Get showered, Go home'.
The way the 33-year-old has always gone about his business bares similarities to another United legend, Bobby Charlton. Regarded as one of the true gentlemen of the game, the World Cup winner has praised the way Scholes acts both on and off the pitch. Although it's now too late for Scholes' to be remembered as an England legend in the same way Charlton is, he will forever be a legend at Manchester United. But there's one major objective Scholes will be desperately striving to achieve before he finally hangs up his masterful boots - a Champions League final appearance.
With Manchester United safely into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Scholes will be hoping that his team can go two steps further as they did in 1999 and reach the final once more. After missing the famous 1999 Champions League final through suspension, Sir Alex Ferguson has always been sympathetic towards Scholes' unfortunate suspension nine years ago. The United manager recently announced that if the Red Devils manage to reach May's final in Moscow, Scholes' name would be the first on teamsheet.
"I'm not a sentimentalist by any means. My one aim has always been to manage the club in the right way.
"But if we got to the Champions League final again then I'm telling you that I would have to be sentimental when it came to choosing my team for that one. I'd have to pick Paul to play because he deserves it."
And deserve it he most certainly would. If Scholes is to lay his own personal ghosts of '99 to rest by appearing in a Champions League final, perhaps then will the Ginger Prince be truly appreciated by those who continue to overlook him, even today.