Former Manchester United player believes Paul Scholes was better than Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United player Jonathan Spector has claimed Paul Scholes was better than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Spector joined United in the summer of 2003 after United’s scouts identified the American as one for the future.

The defender would go on to rub shoulders with United’s stars such as Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Scholes and Ronaldo during his time at the club.

Ronaldo also joined United in 2003 however his path to the first team was clearer than Spector’s. Ronaldo went on to become a world class player under Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Portuguese played alongside United icons like Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Scholes.

In comparison, Spector left the club after a few seasons going on to play for West Ham, Birmingham City, Orlando City and now he finds himself playing in Scotland for Hibernian.

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 While Spector’s fortunes significantly differ, Ronaldo and Scholes would go on to enjoy six seasons together, winning three Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup and two league cups.

Although both players played different roles for United and possessed different qualities both men were, and still are, widely regarded as some of the best players to ever grace a pitch.

While Scholes eventually retired at United, Ronaldo’s meteoric rise in Manchester led to him making a world record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009.

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Since then, the Portuguese has won a total of five Champions League’s while also winning the Ballon d’Or award five times. Despite this, Spector, who is one of the few to have played with both Ronaldo and Scholes, believes the Englishman was better than Ronaldo.

Speaking to the Daily Record he said: “I have also been incredibly fortunate to play with some of the best players who have ever played the game and to learn from them. “It would be easy to say the best was Cristiano Ronaldo but, to be honest, I’d have to say Paul Scholes.

“He was always a step ahead of me, but it felt like he was a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch.”

While Spector acknowledged Scholes’s talent, he admitted the midfielder did not let it go to his head “he was incredibly humble too. But that’s something I always found at Manchester United.” He added.