Paul Scholes’ incredible backspin pass for England v Italy is one of the greatest assists ever

We never really saw the best of Paul Scholes on the international stage.

Part of the reason for that was due to the Manchester United legend being shifted out wide to allow Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to operate as a central midfield pairing.

It certainly wasn’t the greatest call from those in positions of power within the England setup, with Scholes earning only 66 caps overall – which is a criminally low number for a generational footballer.

But while we only got to see the ginger-haired maestro with the Three Lions on his chest for only seven years (1997-2004), he was still able to produce some moments of magic in that time.

Scholes famously scored both of England’s goals in a 2-0 victory over Scotland in the Euro 2000 play-off first leg.

And he also produced an assist worthy of being hung in a footballing museum on his first ever start for the senior side against Italy in 1997.

It came at Le Tournoi, a mini tournament that featured the Azzurri, France and Brazil, but was won by Glenn Hoddle’s England side.

The Three Lions beat Italy 2-0 in their first match, Arsenal legend Ian Wright opening the scoring after just 26 minutes.

It was a goal that was all about Scholes, though.

He picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and then played a perfect 50-yard pass that split legendary defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Costacurta open.

What made the ball over the top even more special was the fact it had some serious backspin on it, which allowed Wright to smash the ball into the back of the net first time.

Check out the goal in all of its glory here…

Your yearly reminder of this ridiculous Paul Scholes pass to set up @IanWright0…