Scholes: Of course I can tackle - I only crunched players to exact revenge

By Steve Skerry for MailOnline
Updated: 18:10 EDT, 3 October 2011

Paul Scholes has admitted he tackled players as a form of retribution after being fouled himself.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder, who retired in the summer, was sent off 10 times during a distinguished career.

But the 36-year-old said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live that some of his infamous late tackles were made to exact revenge.

Bad timing: Paul Scholes clatters Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes in trademark fashion in 2004

Scholes revealed he just wanted to ‘get people back’ after players had fouled him and denied he deserved his reputation for being a poor tackler.

‘Of course I can tackle,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty of evidence of me being able to tackle.

‘I was just getting people back. If someone got me early in the game, it was always in the back of my mind that I needed to get them back. I didn’t always do it on purpose. Some of it was just bad timing.’

Scholes claimed he received more bookings towards the end of his playing days because of his reputation and insisted his record was nothing out of the ordinary.

Parting gift: Scholes saw red at Wembley for this challenge on Pablo Zabaleta

‘I think throughout my career the record wasn’t that bad,’ added Scholes, who received 145 yellow cards for club and country between 1994 and 2011.

‘There were a few yellow cards but not many sendings-off. I think towards the end every time I made one tackle I got booked, because of my reputation I suppose.’

Scholes’s last red card came in April of this year when he was sent off for an horrific high challenge on Pablo Zabaleta in United’s 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.