Scholes insists he would take a Premier League medal if City are stripped of 2012 title

Paul Scholes has doubled down on his willingness to accept a retrospective Premier League winners’ medal if Manchester City are stripped of their 2012 title, putting him at direct odds with former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, who says he would not want a medal for finishing second.

City were found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 and have lodged an appeal against the Independent Commission’s ruling while continuing to protest their innocence. Rival clubs are awaiting news on punishment, which could range from a fine to a points deduction or even expulsion from the top flight. The prospect of runners-up being elevated to champions has been described as unlikely for the time being, but the debate has already divided former United players.

Scholes, who holds 11 Premier League titles, was unequivocal on The Good, The Bad and The Football when presenter Paddy McGuinness suggested he would not want the title. “Why not? F*g yeah,” Scholes said. “I only played 14 times somewhere in the last six months of the season. But yeah, I would take it. We lost on goal difference that year. Do you not think the rest of our team, our teammates, the manager and the staff are working their bollocks off all year to try and win the league? And just because a team did it wrongly, cheated, that we wouldn’t want it?”

Scholes had previously made his position clear on social media. “Keep hearing ex-teammates saying they want trophies taking off them [City] but don’t want their medals,” he wrote on Instagram. “F that, I’m a greedy b*** I want my medal.”

Rooney is among those ex-teammates who see it differently. Asked by Kelly Cates whether he would accept a retrospective medal, Rooney said: “It’s difficult. I look at it from the players’ point of view. I’m assuming all the players didn’t know what was going on. They went onto the football pitch and won the league, while we finished second. We didn’t finish first. Why would we want a medal for finishing second?”

The 2012 title remains one of the most dramatic in Premier League history. United believed they had clinched the championship with a win at the Stadium of Light, only to discover that City had completed a late comeback against Queens Park Rangers thanks to Sergio Agüero’s iconic stoppage-time strike, edging the title on goal difference.

With City’s appeal ongoing and no punishment yet determined, the question of whether any titles will be reallocated remains unresolved — but the split between Scholes and Rooney illustrates how divisive the prospect already is among those who stood to benefit.