Paul Scholes' Ultimate XI featured Cristiano Ronaldo, but not Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Paul Scholes has been named in many footballers’ dream XIs over the years, but which players would get into his Ultimate XI?

The Manchester United legend is widely regarded as one of the most gifted English footballers of all time.

Winner of 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and two Champions Leagues, Scholes is also one of the most decorated footballers of his generation.

Who made Paul Scholes' Ultimate XI?

In 2017, Scholes was asked to name an XI comprised of his former teammates and opponents for Spanish newspaper Marca.

It wasn’t an easy task for Scholes, who admitted: “I didn’t want to leave anyone out.”

After all, the former England international played with and competed against a host world-class stars during his illustrious career.

Let’s take a closer look at Scholes’ Dream XI:

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel

Roy Keane might think he’s overrated but Scholes certainly doesn’t share the same opinion about former Man Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

Right-back: Gary Neville

Not only one Scholes’ closest friends in football and a fantastic pundit, Gary Neville was a brilliant right-back in his day.

Centre-back: Jaap Stam

Jaap Stam only spent a few three seasons at Old Trafford but Scholes and the rest of the Man Utd faithful remember the talismanic centre-back fondly.

Centre-back: Rio Ferdinand

A Rolls Royce of a defender, Rio Ferdinand got the nod in Scholes’ XI over Nemanja Vidic.

Left-back: Roberto Carlos

Arguably the greatest left-back of all time, Roberto Carlos made Scholes’ line-up ahead of players like Patrice Evra and Denis Irwin.

Right-wing: Zinedine Zidane

Named as one of the three greatest footballers of all time by Keane and Jamie Carragher this week, Zinedine Zidane was an absolute joy to watch.

Central midfield: Xavi

Now the manager of Barcelona, Xavi is one of the best midfielders of all time.

Central midfield: Andres Iniesta

After naming Xavi, Scholes couldn’t leave out the Spaniard’s fellow Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta.

Left-wing: Ryan Giggs

The only player to have won more Premier League titles than Scholes, Ryan Giggs needs no introduction.

Centre-forward: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo recently scored his 700th club goal and some people - including Andy Gray and Graeme Souness - stated their belief afterwards that Man Utd’s No. 7 might be the greatest footballer of all time.

Centre-forward: Ruud van Nistelrooy

Speaking on Gary Neville’s The Overlap, Scholes recently revealed that he loved playing with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who banged in 150 goals in 219 games for United.

Paul Scholes’ Ultimate XI

And here’s Scholes’ Ultimate XI on paper:

Why didn't Paul Scholes name Lionel Messi?

Surprisingly, there was no room in Scholes’ team for Lionel Messi, despite admitting that the Argentine forward was a nightmare to play against.

“I am not ashamed to admit that in the games against Barcelona I spent a lot of the time just hoping he would take up positions as far away from me as possible,” Scholes wrote in The Independent in 2015.

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