Former Manchester United midfield star Paul Scholes has revealed that former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira was the toughest opponent he ever squared up to during his career.
Scholes, who retired for a second time back in 2013, faced some of the greatest players world football has ever seen during his career, such as the likes of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard.
Whilst those above names will be remembered for their flamboyance and ability to put the ball in the back of the net from all angles, few would have presented such a physical battle as former Arsenal ace Vieira, who was renowned for having plenty of battles and scuffles with Scholes' former United teammate Roy Keane down the years.
Scholes has opened up on his duels with the Frenchman, who retired from playing back in 2011 after one season with United's cross-city rivals Manchester City, insisting that he had to make changes to his personal game when coming face to face with the former France intentional.
"As a player, I played against Vieira, who was brilliant," Scholes told the A Goal in One Podcast.
"The way I played there was never an opponent I had to be fitter than, stronger than, more physical than. I was never that type of player, I was a passing player.
"I could beat players with passing but Vieira he was just so awkward, so tall, so long, so leggy. Just when you thought you had it he would nick it over your head.
"He was just so awkward to play against but what a really good player. He wasn’t just a holding player, he got himself forward, he could score goals, he could make goals. He had great energy.
"Whenever people ask me who’s the best I played against [okay maybe] not the best [ability wise] but the most awkward I played against it was Vieira."
