Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has made a startling admission about the lengths he must now go to in order to watch his former club play at Old Trafford. The legendary midfielder, who made 718 appearances for the Red Devils, confessed he was forced to use a ticket tout to secure seats for a match, highlighting a profound disconnect from the modern club.
A Club Transformed
Speaking on 'The Good, the Bad & the Football' podcast with fellow Class of '92 graduate Nicky Butt, Scholes expressed that the institution he helped lead to 25 major trophies, including 11 Premier League titles, now feels unfamiliar. "It's a very different football club to the club we knew," Scholes stated, adding, "I don't really know anybody there." This sentiment was echoed by Butt, who confirmed he also no longer has contacts within the organisation.
The core of the issue, according to Scholes, is not a desire for freebies but a simple lack of knowledge on how to legitimately acquire tickets for friends. Despite having four season tickets for his family, he was recently stumped when asked for two tickets by a friend from Salford. "I've had to ring a tout. Am I allowed to say that? Honestly, I know a tout. I just don't know anybody at the club!" he revealed during the podcast recording.
Butt's Season Ticket Struggle
Nicky Butt then shared his own frustrating experience with the club's ticketing system. He recounted receiving an email threatening to revoke a season ticket because it had not been used frequently enough, a policy that also applies to his son. When he called to resolve the issue, the operator did not recognise his name.
"I go 'Nicky Butt' and they go, 'OK, well who's that?'" Butt explained. He felt like listing his credentials—around 450 games and seven titles—but recognised the futility, simply concluding, "It is a different world. I wouldn't know where to go."
No Sense of Entitlement
Despite the anecdotes, Scholes was keen to stress that he does not believe his legendary status warrants special treatment. "I'm not complaining about that," he clarified. "That's just the way it is and the way it happens. Just because you played for the club, you're not entitled to stuff." He emphasised that he is willing to pay, but the fundamental problem is not knowing who to contact, especially as his last game for United was over 13 years ago.
This perspective was met with disbelief by podcast host Paddy McGuinness, who interjected about the pair's "lifelong service" to the club. Scholes, however, remained pragmatic, reinforcing that the club has simply evolved into a different entity since his playing days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
