Paul Scholes is unquestionably one of the greatest English midfielders of all time and one of the best players of the Premier League era.

The former England international won 11 Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson. Only Ryan Giggs (13) has more Premier League winners' medals in his collection.

Countless great players and managers have praised Scholes' quality over the years, including the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Pep Guardiola.

Despite that, Scholes admits there's one player he purposely avoided going near during his illustrious career.

That player is the peerless Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer in history.

The Barcelona icon, who holds the record for most Ballon d'Or triumphs with eight awards to his name, must have an entire room in his home devoted to his myriad of Man of the Match mantles.

One of his earliest unforgettable displays came in the Champions League at Old Trafford during the 2007-08 season. At just 20 years old, Messi bossed the pitch, leaving Manchester United defenders in his wake during his inaugural appearance at the Theatre of Dreams.

Despite United clinching a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a stunning strike from Paul Scholes, Messi was undeniably the star of the match, showcasing his incredible talent and flair, and was unlucky to find himself on the losing side.

The video of the magical Argentinian effortlessly outmaneuvering the match's lone goalscorer remains an image of greatness - an instance that resurfaces every anniversary.

For Scholes, however, this encounter marked only the first of many battles with Messi, and by the time the Englishman retired, he was certain he’d faced the greatest. Scholes himself admitted that Messi was the one player he actively tried to avoid.

What Paul Scholes Said About Lionel Messi

Scholes, one of the greatest midfielders of the 21st century, was renowned for his unmatched ability to read the game and stay a step ahead of his opponents. Yet, Messi made him question even this defining skill.

Talking to 'Football's Greatest Podcast', he said: "You were lucky [not to play against Messi]. But it wasn't just him. Look at the three in midfield: Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, then you had Messi. When you're up against a midfield player, and you're one-on-one, which you hope you don't get in that situation, with some players, you'd be able to read them, you know where they're going, and sometimes, you can take it off them.

"With him, I didn't have a clue. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. Whether he was going to go to the left, whether he was going to go to the right, or through my legs. He could have done anything, and you just had to guess. If you missed the ball, you had to get him. "

"But that team as a whole was incredible," he continued. Talking about the 2009 Champions League final, he added: "After that first 10 minutes in Rome, they just totally out-played us..."

Certainly, it wasn't the first time Scholes was asked to speak about Messi, nor is it expected to be the last. Scholes, in a column for the Independent in 2015, after facing Messi on four occasions throughout his career. wrote:

"I am not ashamed to admit that in the games against Barcelona I spent a lot of the time just hoping he would take up positions as far away from me as possible."

He added: “Elusive is the word that immediately springs to mind when I think about Messi’s style of play. You think you have an eye on him and then – blink – he has gone, only to reappear somewhere else in space, with the ball.

"When you try to face up to him and make a tackle, you know what it is he is going to do with the ball. The problem is staying with him.”