YOU only get one life and in professional soccer you only get one career. And I've got a gut feeling that Paul Scholes will live to regret it if he stands by his decision to retire from international football.
Because I'm convinced that Manchester United's Ginger Prince still has unfinished business with England. And I hate the thought of this brilliant footballer reaching old age haunted by the words "if only."
Of course, I understand completely that Scholes wants to spend more quality time with his young family. But he'll have all the time in the world to play catch-up when his career has run its course.
And he's still got so much to offer his country that it will be a tragedy for both himself and our national team if he abandons the Three Lions while still in his prime.
Scholes is not the only person on the Old Trafford payroll who has contemplated retirement too early and then had a change of heart.
His boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his team captain Roy Keane both announced their retirement - Fergie from club management and Keane from international football with the Republic of Ireland.
Different
The circumstances were different but both Ferguson and Keane changed their minds for the same reason. They both believed they still had something to offer to United and the Republic of Ireland respectively. And both were absolutely spot-on with their decisions.
And I would urge Scholes to take a leaf out of Fergie and Keane's book and think again about prematurely cutting short his England career. Because like them, he's still got so much more to give.
Scholes is still only 29. He's at the peak of his career. He is hugely admired, both as a man and a player, by the England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has made it clear that the little midfield maestro will continue to be one of the first names he writes on his team-sheet.
And that makes Scholes's decision to quit the international arena even more difficult to comprehend. Perhaps Scholes's decision to walk away from England has been influenced to some degree by the criticism of his international performances over the past three seasons when he has scored only once.
But there is much more to Scholes's game than scoring goals. Even without scoring, he has remained the pulse-beat of the England team. His passing, his vision, his will-to-win. All those qualities make him a vital part of Eriksson's side. The England coach knows that and has said so publicly. And Scholes, in his quiet moments, must know it, too.
There is a strong possibility, of course, that Scholes has not been enjoying his international football this past 12 months as much as he once did after being often asked to play in positions that didn't favour his natural game.But international managers come and go. Scholes could suddenly find himself playing once again for his country in his natural position - but he'd have to be part of the England squad for that to happen.
Sooner or later, England will make the breakthrough that the entire country has been waiting for since the World Cup of 1966. They will win a major international trophy because they have got too many quality players for that not to happen.
Responsibility
That breakthrough could come in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The finals of that competition are only two years down the line with the qualifying games due to start within the next few months.
The next two years could be the very best in Scholes's entire career. He will still be only 31 when the 2006 World Cup is over.
Is it too much to expect Scholes to give two more years to his country? I don't believe it is.
Still plenty of time after 2006, surely, to be the husband and father he wants to be to his wife and children. I wonder how Scholes would feel if England come home from Germany in two years' time with the World Cup and he has taken no part in that triumph?
No, I don't have to wonder. He will feel cheated out of what would have been one of the great moments of his life ... and that would be a tragedy of his own making.
So think again, Paul. Stay with England because England still desperately needs you. Don't grow old thinking "if only."
You only get one career and you have a responsibility to yourself to make the best of it. And making the best of a God-given talent like yours doesn't include walking away from your country when you've still got so much to offer.
Have your say on Scholes' decision
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You may think he should stay at England but if he feels he wants to spend more time with his family then you should admire him for putting his family first. He has done the right thing for himself and the people who are important to him - what the rest of us thinks doesnt matter and we shouldnt try and pressurise him into doing something that he obviously doesnt want to.
Is Paul Hince the new pen name for Claire Raynor? What an agony aunt bowl of tosh! Paul has considered his decision for a year, taking the views of others worth hearing and then, giving the maximum time before the next circus for the team to be restructured, quietly and with dignity, resigned. As a modest and reserved person, he has given years to his country in the acrimonious goldfish bowl that is the England team and now deserves respect and understanding and above all thanks for his years of self sacrifice and service. The notion that because he still can, he must, is absurd and contrary to the freedom of the individual to choose. If a woman is attractive she is not forced to enter the Miss World contest! Paul Hince should stop trying to find a negative spin for a positive story, this is great news for our club, his family and Paul himself.
"sooner or later England will make the breakthrough and win a major international tournament"....clearly age hasn't affected Hince's delusions of grandeur. Either that or he's MEN's new croquet correspondant.
It's pethetic how all the newspapers are suddenly realising what a great player Scholes is. Before Euro 2004 all i heard was Scholes hadn't scored for three years and shouldn't be in the team. As a United fan i knew Scholes was special, all United fans know it, and i backed him time and time again against others who claimed he shouldn't play for England (non-Man Utd supporters). I'm glad he retired, he can make the critics eat their words when he is playing like a world class player for us and England are relying on Rooney for all their creativity. I truely believe that in a years time the nation will be begging Paul Scholes to come back, just like they were for Shearer.
Scholes isn't stupid - I'm sure he has considered the possibility (however remote) of England winning the World Cup in two years time without him and how he would feel about that. In fact he seems to have discussed the issue of leaving international football several times with Eriksson, Ferguson and others before he made his decision. So I don't know on what basis Paul Hince can claim to know that he'll regret it later. The Roy Keane situation was very different: he walked out of the Ireland side when he could no longer tolerate the shambolic organisation. When the FAI fixed things he was happy to return.
Absolute journalistic gibberish. What happened to free will? If his heart isn't in it anymore England shouldn't want him anyway. Also the whole 3 years without a goal thing, yet an other load of boll** statistic written by those no brain London journo's. Methinks the 45 goals he scored for us in the same period say it all. Well in Scholesy, u little ginger legend!!!
People forget that PS is also a person, and extremely private person. all this uproar around the FA, the England squad, the Manager, the players e.g. DB, WR, FL, the positional switches, the system of play etc etc is it any wonder that PS does not want anymore of it. I can not criticise him for not wanting to be a part of it. I dont believe that the english team will win the world cup in 2006 and even if they do I dont believe that PS will think about the 'what ifs'. Scholes is a footballer first and foremost and the accolades and medals do not have the same meaning as to others. he has the FA, Premiership, Charity shield, UEFA and european cup medals already. i dont think he'll be losing any sleep wondering about the world cup. his main focus in on manu's fortunes and to play the game and have fun. if the fun is not there why play the game ??? and the england managers have not made the game fun for him anymore. think about it !!!
Scholesy is one our greatest players.But all said and done it is his descision and one has to respect that.He is never going to play for england in his favoured position again and he was really wasted in the left.Iam sure scholes is a much better player than lampard.
England matches will never be the same.. Even though not a united fan in fact a liverpool fan.. scholes is one of my fav players... He got so much stick from the press for not scoring goals and seemed to only give him scores of 3/4/5 out of ten each match... they never took into account how many goals he set up I can think of over 10 in the three years he did not score.... The main reason for the lack of gols in this period has to be the tactics.. when he was scoring all the goals he was going up for corners and free kicks inside the box... last three years he was the defending midfielder left back in the middle of the pitch....
Good luck to him for the future playing for united and spending time with his young family I am sure united will now see the best of him...
Good comments from John, Chester. The many faces of the press, in particular the tabloid press, who often seem more interested in unearthing scandal than any informed reporting of the actual game (this seems to apply to sport in general), must make it very difficult for any England player to enjoy playing for England. I applaud Paul for turning his back on the entire circus. To my mind, the sensationalism and "journalistic licence" of the press sours any enjoyment of the fortunes of the national team.
The one thing annoys me most about the 3 years since Scholes scored for England stuff, is that no tabloid really asked the question, Why? In my mind (and the facts speak for themselves), the day Scholes stopped scoring for England, was the day Shearer retired. Gone were the days of the ball being held up in opponents half, giving time for the midfield to support and get in the box. In with the long ball over the top for Owen, or even worse to Owen "the brick walls" feet. I think we have one of the best midfields in world football, yet never use them. I can't blame Paul one bit for thinking "Can I really be bothered with this." The people who are amazing me most with this story are those who felt Scholes should be dropped and never play for England, yet are the first to moan about him turning his back on the country....clowns!!
Only one person can say if Paul was wrong to quit England, and that is Paul himself. If you take another look at the game against Portugal, you can see that his heart was not in it. But if you take a look at the game against Milan, though a friendly, you can see a relieved man. There's only one thing to do in situations like these and that is to respect his decision and wish him well.
According to a report in Daily mail today.. the scholes household is going to increase in December... if this is true no wonder he retired from internetional football... he is a family man and wants to be with his young family... three kids 5 and under is going to be a hand full....
He did the right thing it must be terrible having to play for England under the Swede lets face it we invent tennis and football and are useless at both.