Paul Scholes still remembers the moment that placed his
football career in proper context. A wet night in Birmingham in
December 2005 will forever be etched in his mind. "We had an away
game at St Andrew's and in the last 10 minutes there was a ball
coming towards me," said Scholes ahead of Saturday's FA Cup Final
with Chelsea. "I thought there were three or four balls there.
That's what I could see, anyway. I thought I had a bit of a
migraine at the time but then I went to see a specialist and it
still hadn't gone. "It was quite worrying. People were asking about
my family history, whether they'd been any history of heart
disease. It wasn't good."
Scholes remains understandably reticent about a condition that
threatened his future just over a year ago. Nobody outside of his
family and the United medical staff know exactly what it was. It
remains a minor irritation and perhaps will for the rest of his
career. To this day Scholes is required to carry out regular eye
exercises. The difference is that it no longer affects his
football, as anybody who has seen him play this season will
testify.
He will not admit it, of course, but this model professional has
rarely played better. His influence on United's return to domestic
dominance has been crucial. "It was the first chance I've had to
take stock," reflected Scholes. "Being out for six months is
something else. "Usually you are out for four to six weeks and
don't have that much time to think about it. But I had a lot of
time to think and it made me realise how lucky I was to be playing
really."
Scholes is an unemotional man, almost impossible to read.
Nevertheless, there has been a definite sense this season that one
of the country's most intelligent, intuitive footballers has been
enjoying his game again. Even before his illness, the 32-year-old
looked ill at ease with his football. Shunted around Sir Alex
Ferguson's midfield as the manager sought an effective formula and
forced into international retirement by Sven Goran Eriksson's
suffocating tactics, Scholes looked a little lost.
He admitted: "When you're not playing well you don't enjoy it and
over the past few seasons, or whatever it is when we hadn't been
winning things, it's not been enjoyable. "I know a lot of players
in a lot of clubs who would be very happy finishing second or
third, but for us it's not good enough and for two or three years
it was tough to take. "I don't think hunger will be a problem.
There are players I have known who have played on until 34 or 35.
Whether I can play longer because of that six -month rest I don't
know. But crucially I'm happy, I still really enjoy playing
football."
Scholes played the last of his 66 internationals when England were
shunted out of Euro 2004 by Portugal. Since Eriksson's departure,
Scholes has watched Steve McClaren struggle as head of the national
team. He feels some sympathy for his former United assistant
manager and has been tempted to offer his unique services to his
country again. "I did think about it at the start of the season,"
said Scholes.
"I did speak to Steve but I thought I'd got my form back playing
for Manchester United and didn't want to do anything to jeopardise
that. "There are good players in the England team and they are
always putting the effort in but for some reason it doesn't seem to
click." Scholes has three FA Cup winner's medals, but mixed
memories. A goal in the 1999 victory over Newcastle helped numb the
pain of missing the Champions League Final that followed, but a
missed penalty contributed to a shoot-out defeat against Arsenal in
Cardiff two years ago.
This time, going back to Wembley holds an obvious attraction for a
man who has enjoyed memorable moments for club and country at the
national stadium. "Did the FA Cup ever lose its magic?" asked
Scholes. "I don't think so. But going to Wembley makes it. "Don't
get me wrong. Going to Cardiff was great. But to be back at
Wembley, back in England, is massive for this tournament and to
have the two best teams in England is a great thing."