Pirlo: Scholes was “one of the best I have seen”

We already knew that Paul Scholes has Zinedine Zidane fighting his corner, but another of the world's greatest midfielders has spoken of his admiration for the former England man.

Andrea Pirlo described Scholes as: "technically one of the best I have seen - not just one of the best Englishmen, but quite simply just one of the best." Speaking to Shortlist, the New York City FC midfielder also spoke highly of fellow MLS newcomer Steven Gerrard. Fitness issues prevented the pair from teaming up for this year's MLS All-Star game, but they almost ended up playing together many years ago. "Carlo [Ancelotti] tried to sign him for Milan so we could play together, but he had no interest in leaving Liverpool. "There was a point when England had Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, and that was the stage when you looked at England and thought they could really win something." Pirlo also came into contact with current England boss Roy Hodgson when the pair were together at Inter, and the 36-year-old has helped clear up a famous misunderstanding between manager and player. Responding to the question of whether Hodgson mistakenly called him 'Pirla' (Italian for 'd*ckhead'), he admitted: "It was unintentional - he just mispronounced my name, but yes he did." It seems the d*ckhead had the last laugh.