How playing against Gareth Bale in 2013 convinced Paul Scholes to retire
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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes admits he might have made a mistake playing on for an extra season, as he realised after an encounter with Gareth Bale in 2013.
Scholes originally hung up his boots in the summer of 2011, but came back from retirement - at the age of 37 - midway through the following season before staying on for another campaign.
He then officially retired in 2013 after United reclaimed the Premier League from rivals Manchester City and Sir Alex Ferguson closed the book on his illustrious managerial career.
However, Scholes has suggested his decision to continue playing beyond the end of the 2011/2012 season was a mistake.
Scholes originally hung up his boots in the summer of 2011, but came back from retirement - at the age of 37 - midway through the following season before staying on for another campaign.
He then officially retired in 2013 after United reclaimed the Premier League from rivals Manchester City and Sir Alex Ferguson closed the book on his illustrious managerial career.
However, Scholes has suggested his decision to continue playing beyond the end of the 2011/2012 season was a mistake.
Appearing as a pundit on beIN SPORTS recently, the 43-year-old recalled an encounter with Bale at Old Trafford in a game Tottenham Hotspur won 3-2 as a signal that his time was up.
I think the mistake I did make - I played for the rest of that season - I shouldn't have gone on again.
The season after that, I was done then.
I remember playing a game against Tottenham in the third or fourth game.
I played alright, but I remember Gareth Bale running at me and I thought, "that's game over".
I was even too slow to kick him. That was the problem.
