Goodbye to the Maestro

[A/N: There are just too many things I feel like I should blog about but I think that I probably end up doing only one of them. Figured I should start with the most important one.]

Paul Scholes bade his farewell to Old Trafford on Friday. The sold out Old Trafford just shows how much respect the fans have for him.

The current Manchester United team played the New York Cosmos. From what I gathered from the commentary, the Cosmos used to be a glamorous club in the 70s/80s and dominated the MLS. Somehow they folded and Pele is involved and now Eric Cantona is their technical director. It's pretty amazing having The King Eric back at Old Trafford. The Cosmos doesn't actually have a senior team yet – they're trying to build a brand around the name, and then build the team around that brand – therefore, they fielded a few of their under-23 players and then added some current or former stars, including Nicky Butt and Gary Neville.

Okay, back to the main man, The Maestro, The Ginger Prince, Sat Nav, the man, the legend, Mr. Paul Scholes. I've been in denial since his retirement announcement that I will never watch him play again. He is definitely gonna be missed.

The game itself was fairly one sided. It really doesn't matter as long as the main man, Scholes, enjoyed the day and the fans went home pleased. And I'm pretty sure both were achieved. Best part of the whole thing: Scholesy scored the opening of the 6-0 United win. With one of his trademark scorchers, no less! That is definitely something that me, United fans, and football in general would miss.

[Scholes scoring his final United goal]

Ninth minute of the game and Scholesy blasted one in into the corner. It was as if the whole thing was scripted. The ball comes, Old Trafford urged him to shoot, and he obliged. He's done so many of those and I will never tire of watching the replays.

Another aspect of his game that I will miss teribly: his passing. No one can do it better than him – Sat Nav, as Rio Ferdinand calls him. The way he keeps the ball and then distribute it to anywhere around the pitch. He sees players and runs before anyone else can see it. He can develop a play before we can recognize it. He's a true playmaker and can easily control the midfield. I always take comfort with having him on the pitch or on the bench because he can change the game just like that.

And of course, who can forget his tackles? It's just brilliant. Sure, in important matches, they make my heart skip a beat because I always feel like the red card is trying to fly out of the referee's pocket right when Scholes lunges at a player. But for the entertainment factor, 17 years as a professional footballer, playing central midfield, and he's always a second or two late going into tackles! Whenever he does, I imagine Sir Alex Ferguson would be holding his breath wishing that it's not too bad.

But Scholes is loved not just because of his incredible talent. His character and his ability to be at the top level for so long but kept his off-field life out of the public's eyes are things that modern footballers should try to emulate. He's a shy man by nature, always tries to stay out of the spotlight, even calling the testimonial his "biggest nightmare" because he hates being the center of attention. He leaves all the talking on the football pitch, and did he do that well!

It's a shame that he was highly underrated in the eyes of football fans around the world. I guess that's how he'd like it, too, not being talked about by people. Fortunately, those who really knows the sport hold him in the highest regard. Many of his teammates, opponents, and others involved in football call him the best midfielder of his generation. He's a humble family man, with a great talent and an even better character. That is something that modern football is lacking. Who can we get to replace Paul Scholes? He said that he doesn't need to be replaced, but I respectfully disagree. He simply cannot be replaced. There will be players coming in and out trying to fill the void, but there will always be that void that was left by him.

Such an amazing career for such an amazing man. Paul Scholes, it's an honor to have watched you play football.

[The King and The Gaffer]

[Still can't believe that we'll never see this again]

[Paul and the little Scholesies]

Speech at the end of the game:

"A few decent memories" has to be an understatement if there ever was one.

Side note: I would LOVE to watch a video of any part of this. How lucky are those guys?! So many professional footballers dream of playing alongside or against him, and they get to do it!