Paul Scholes Photo: VCG

In a week where England struggled against a superior Belgian side with manager Gareth Southgate once again dealing with the dilemma of how to play the country's surfeit of midfield talent, it was fitting that Paul Scholes celebrated his birthday.

Scholes is perhaps the poster boy of why the Three Lions have struggled to replicate their sole World Cup success in 1966.

The former Manchester United midfielder - who played two stints ­under Alex Ferguson after being coaxed out of retirement to solve a gaping hole in the midfield that has yet to be solved by those that followed either player or manager - is in an interesting case.

Revered by his fellow professionals, he was often overlooked at international level by a succession of England coaches who sacrificed him in central midfield in an attempt to harness the undoubted talents of Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

Scholes is also unusual in the fact that he is a player who appears to be better regarded in retirement than he ever was when he was lacing up his boots week in, week out in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

One man who appreciates him is his heir apparent at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese schemer has been a revelation since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in the January transfer window.

"For me, maybe I'm closer to Paul Scholes. [He] was a guy who likes to be in the box, who likes to give an assist, who likes to score a lot of goals," Fernandes told the official Manchester United podcast.

Fernandes, clearly a student of the game, compared Scholes favorably to his peers.  

"I think Scholes was one of the best midfielders in the world. For England, a lot of people talk about Frank Lampard because he scored a lot of goals of course, one of the best in England too, you have Steven ­Gerrard too.

"But I think Scholes is the one who makes more difference than anyone else. In the last generation, those three were the three best ones, and for me Scholes was best."

That debate rages on in the pubs of Britain, or it did when they were open, and on social media. It certainly caused headaches for those who had to pick an England team to emulate Sir Alf Ramsey's World Cup winners.

One manager who never struggled to harness the talents of Scholes is the one who brought him through the youth ranks and called him out of retirement to return to Old Trafford, the only manager of his club career: Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I think Paul Scholes is the best player in England," Ferguson once said. 

"He's got the best skills, the best brain. No one can match him. There isn't a player of his mould anywhere in the world. Paul is irreplaceable."

Those who played with him are all in agreement on the talents of the Middleton Magician.

"An amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being," was Roy Keane's verdict of the player who also sat out Manchester United's 1999 UEFA Champions League final win over Bayern Munich, Roy Keane. Both had picked up suspensions in the semifinal second leg against Juventus.

"I tell anyone who asks me - Scholes is the best English player," said FIFA World Cup winner Laurent Blanc, who moved to Old Trafford as his career wound down.

Dimitar Berbatov, who played with Scholes in his second stint for the Red Devils, was no less effusive: "Nobody else can play the way Paul Scholes does."

It is a similar story with Cristiano Ronaldo, the last Manchester United player to win the Ballon d'Or, who grew into superstar status playing with Scholes.

"Scholes is the best I've played with and he helped me a lot when I was young. He's amazing," Ronaldo said.

Gary Neville came through Manchester United's famous Class of '92 with Scholes and he is perhaps his biggest fan.

"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," Neville said.

Similarly, David Beckham also came through but would later leave Old Trafford for Real Madrid, where Scholes was who his new teammates asked him about.

"He's always one of those people others talk about," Beckham said. "Even playing at Real Madrid, the players always say to me, 'What's he like?' They respect him as a footballer and see him as the ultimate."

That is the respect in which Scholes was held outside of England, including by Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Pele.

"My toughest opponent?" said ­Zinedine Zidane. 

"Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder."

Zidane's Real Madrid teammate Luis Figo was a fan too: "I'm star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch, you can't catch him. Off the pitch, he disappears."

He did disappear.

Scholes echoed his commitment to the game and lack of commitment to media duties as a player: "I get up, I go to work, I finish work, I shower, I go home," he once said.

It is interesting that he is now a pundit and has also briefly tried his hand at coaching those who cannot do what he could, at Oldham Athletic and the club he part-owns, Salford City.

He has not changed that much though, as when BeIn Sport asked him how he felt about the praise from football's best.

 "Embarrassed mainly," Scholes said. 

"But flattered as well to get these kind of comments from these people.

"These aren't just run-of-the-mill players and coaches. These are the best players who played the game: Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo.

"It's really nice and, erm… it gives you a boost when you read stuff like that.

"Is it true? Don't know what they think, so I'll take it."

Manchester United and England would both take a Paul Scholes in his prime right now.