Diego Maradona vs Paul Scholes: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Central Midfielder, England (born 1974, retired 2013)
Set Diego Maradona alongside Paul Scholes and the numbers start an argument of their own. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. Diego Maradona finishes with 293 career goals from 582 games — a 0.50 strike rate — against Paul Scholes's 169 from 784 at 0.22 per match. Modern assist data only covers part of their careers, so creativity is hard to compare cleanly — Diego Maradona is listed at 0 and Paul Scholes at 75 where figures survive. In major honours Diego Maradona collected 6 — headlined by 1× FIFA World Cup (1986) — whereas Paul Scholes amassed 17, led by 2× UEFA Champions League (1999, 2008). Diego Maradona scored with a predatory that defined his era, while Paul Scholes's finishing carried a intelligent all of its own. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Diego Maradona's landmark level arrived around 1986 with a career spanning Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys; Paul Scholes's came around 2008 across Manchester United. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
187 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
Argentine legend who almost single-handedly led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and transformed Napoli into Italian and European contenders.
“A low-centre-of-gravity left-footed genius whose dribbling and playmaking carried teams single-handedly.”
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× FIFA World Cup (1986)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1989)
- 2× Serie A (1987, 1990)
- 1× Copa Italia (1987)
- 1× Argentine Primera División (1981)
- 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
- 1976 Argentinos Juniors debut ten days before his 16th birthday
- 1981 Joined Boca Juniors and won the Argentine league
- 1982 World-record transfer to Barcelona
- 1984 Signed for Napoli for another world-record fee
- 1987 Led Napoli to their first ever Serie A title
- 1990 Captained Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final
- 1997 Played his final professional matches at Boca Juniors
- 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
If forced to pick, Paul Scholes is the choice: a decisive margin, with a weightier trophy cabinet the deciding factor.
Paul Scholes edges it (a decisive margin)
