The best illustration I can give of his talent is that at Manchester United there was always a possession drill in training designed to develop our passing ability, which might be three players against another three players, or six versus six, or nine versus nine. But no matter what the numbers were, the side with Paul Scholes on their team would always win by keeping the most possession.

Playing for England was one long roller-coaster: some ups and downs, but also quite a few moments when you're not really sure if you're enjoying the ride.

There have been times when I've reflected on my international career and just thought: 'Well that was a massive waste of time.' Sorry for sounding sour, but my best mate, David Beckham, got butchered after the World Cup in 1998, then my brother, Phil, after Euro 2000.

This Guy (Messi) is the Best Player in the World, no doubt about that. I think we're always nervous about calling people who are currently playing, who are young at 23, to say he's the Best Player ever. But we shouldn't be. We should admit what we are seeing in front of our eyes. This is a special talent, who may be is the Best Player ever been seen.

I wouldn’t swap Paul Scholes for anybody. He is quite simply the most complete footballer I have ever played with. He is the best.

With good coaching, proper motivation and the right club structure with organic growth, you can achieve an awful lot in football.

Will any club dominate again? Are any club set up to dominate again? When you look at the clubs that have dominated they've usually got a core five, six or seven players who can stay there for 10 to 15 years. There is a continuity with the management. I'm not quite sure at the moment that I'm seeing the decision making at any of the top clubs to be able to suggest that domination is actually achievable again. Maybe in the future, but I'm not quite sure it'll happen very soon.