Roberto Baggio vs Paul Scholes: Stats Compared
Attacking Midfielder, Italy (born 1967, retired 2004) · Central Midfielder, England (born 1974, retired 2013)
Line up Roberto Baggio next to Paul Scholes and the contrasts come quickly. They occupied different roles, which makes a like-for-like verdict a careful exercise. Career output puts Roberto Baggio at 318 goals in 602 games, with Paul Scholes at 169 in 784. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Roberto Baggio is credited with 0 and Paul Scholes with 75. In major honours Roberto Baggio collected 9 — headlined by 1× UEFA Cup (1993) — whereas Paul Scholes amassed 17, led by 2× UEFA Champions League (1999, 2008). The attacking midfielder duties of Roberto Baggio leaned incisive; the central midfielder responsibilities of Paul Scholes leaned silky. The wider career context matters too: Roberto Baggio peaked around 1993 after representing Vicenza, Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, Inter, while Paul Scholes's defining level came around 2008 across Manchester United. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
161 words · comparison angle: role
Player profiles
Roberto Baggio is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder. He is also the former president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation. A highly skillful creative playmaker and set piece specialist, renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscoring, Baggio is regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time.
“A delicate playmaker with velvet touch, disguised passing and an instinct for decisive moments.”
Manchester United midfielder renowned for his passing range and vision; two-time Champions League winner.
“A short-sighted, single-touch midfielder whose passing range was unmatched in his generation.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× UEFA Cup (1993)
- 2× UEFA Champions League (1999, 2008)
- 11× Premier League
- 3× FA Cup (1996, 1999, 2004)
- 1× FIFA Club World Cup (2008)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1985 Established himself at Vicenza
- 1989 Reached his defining peak
- 1993 Delivered a landmark season
- 2004 Retired from professional football
- 1994 Manchester United debut
- 1996 First Premier League title
- 1999 Treble winner with Manchester United
- 2003 Briefly retired from England duty
- 2008 Second Champions League winner
- 2011 Came out of retirement to help Manchester United
- 2013 Retired for good at Manchester United
The verdict
On balance Paul Scholes edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a weightier trophy cabinet.
Paul Scholes edges it (a decisive margin)
