Barcelona midfielder Xavi has declared that Manchester United's Paul Scholes is the best midfielder of his generation.
The World Cup winner admitted that he is a huge admirer of the 38-year-old's talents and said that he is the finest player of the last two decades.
"In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen - the most complete - is Scholes," said Xavi.
"He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn't give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more."
Scholes retired in the summer of 2011 but returned to Sir Alex Ferguson's side in January 2012.