Scholes hails Barcelona

Paul Scholes, routinely hailed as one of the finest Englishman to ever play the game, admits the Barcelona team United will face in the Champions League final are the “ultimate” footballing team.

But the Reds midfielder is confident Sir Alex's men will pose the Spanish masters plenty of questions at Wembley.

“We’re a very good football team as well,” Scholes says. “Barcelona are probably the ultimate team when it comes to playing football and [their brand of football] is something we all look up to and want to play like.

“But we’ll be focusing on our strengths and finding ways to beat them. We’ve got a lot of pace in our team and a lot of quality and we know we can play football just as well as them. Let’s just hope we can prove that.”

Scholes came on as a late substitute against Barcelona in the 2009 final and, like most of his team-mates, still feels the pain of defeat. Recalling it makes him grimace, although he insists the Reds’ performance that evening wasn’t as bad as many believe.

“That Rome final was disappointing,” he says. “We’ve had a quick look back on it

High praise

"Barcelona are probably the ultimate team when it comes to playing football and [their brand of football] is something we all look up to and want to play like."

- Paul Scholes