Paul Scholes (pron-en?p??l ?sko?lz; born 16 November 1974) is an English (England) footballer (association football) who plays for Manchester United (Manchester United F.C.) as a midfielder. He is a one club man (List of one-club men), having spent his entire professional career with the Red Devils.

Born in Salford (Salford, Greater Manchester), but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being spotted by a scout at his school. He made his debut for United in the 1994-95 season (1994-95 in English football) and made 17 league appearances. He went on to play a key part in Manchester Uniteds Treble (Treble (association football))-winning season (1998-99 in English football). Scholes has since gone on to make over 600 appearances for United.

Scholes represented the England national team (England national football team) from 1997 to 2004, participating in the 1998 (1998 FIFA World Cup) and 2002 World Cup (2002 FIFA World Cup), as well as UEFA Euro 2000 and UEFA Euro 2004. He is one of only four players to make over 600 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United (Manchester United F.C.). Scholes is often seen as being shy but he is also known for his poor discipline; he has amassed over 100 bookings (Yellow_card_(sports)#Yellow_card) in all competitions during his career and has been sent off seven times. Scholes has been referred to by Zidane as the "greatest midfielder of his generation.".