Eric was going to sign for Sheffield Wednesday but it was rival Yorkshire club Leeds United who nabbed the Frenchman. But it wasn’t long before those fires were ignited once again and an incident at Crystal Palace in January 1995 would become a defining moment in the man’s entire career. “I now wish to do other things. Eric returned to form and he scored on his first game back against Liverpool. Ooh Ahh said fans of Cantona and he certainly gave them something to ooh and ahh about. That almost meant the season ended on a low, despite the league having been secured. After a promising period with Auxerre, a bout of illness led to him being dropped before going to Martigues on loan and then in 1988 to Marseille. Log In, Register now and personalise your profile. Who is the Premier League's best ever French player? He appeared in 143 games for the Red Devils between 1992-97 with a fine return of 84 goals. © 2018, MyBets Ltd - All Rights Reserved. The fires of the Frenchman’s belly were starting to bubble up. Flashback: Man Utd sign Eric Cantona Best goals by French players Statistics France reaches landmark with Laporte goal. Criticising Cantona was sacrilege for United supporters anyway. What we learned in Matchweek 3 Feature Game Changers: Eric Cantona. He made the ball do the hard work, as his father had once taught him. “I wish Manchester United even more success in the future.”. Eric remained at Marseille until 1991, but during this period he was loaned to a couple of other clubs before finally being taken by Nimes in 1991. Cantona helped United to 6 out of 7 league titles as well as numerous other cup wins. He appeared in 143 games for the Red Devils between 1992-97 with a fine return of 84 goals. After covering the main story, I opted to move things forward later in the day and provided an update to suggest the club may already have found the replacement for the iconic no.7. Sadly, his kung fu exploits meant he was banned from playing that year for France too and when he returned, even though it was in time to join his team mates for Euro 96, the French coach Aimé Jacquet made the (arguably correct) choice to stick with the emerging Zinedine Zidane. In Focus: Aymeric Laporte External Link. Scholes would end up moving deeper rather than operating in a similar position to Eric, with Tottenham's Teddy Sheringham brought to Manchester to cover the exit of the one player everybody felt was irreplaceable. Our website uses cookies and other similar technologies to improve our site and your online experience. There he was spotted by the French national youth team too, but Eric had to do his duty to France in more ways than football back then. Men's adidas Marcus Rashford White Manchester United 2020/21 Third Replica Player Jersey, Men's adidas Bruno Fernandes White Manchester United 2020/21 Third Replica Player Jersey, Men's adidas White Manchester United 2020/21 Third Replica Custom Jersey, Already signed for United? On 14 May 1994, in biblical conditions at Wembley, Cantona's cool powered us to our first Double. For all his and United's dominance domestically, it was argued he had to do it on the biggest European stage to in order to cement his status as a true great. Finally snapping after being sent off, Cantona would deliver the most infamous kick in football, directed at Simmons. Cantona’s colourful character meant he was always as popular outside football as much as on the pitch. You previously blocked notifications from manutd.com. Eric CantonaFull name: Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona, Full name: Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona Date of birth: 24/05/1966. Cantona’s international playing career remains a mystery. The time had come for him to complete his year of national service in the army. External Link. The King's abdication was a sad day indeed. They couldn't communicate and had little in common, so how did Ji-sung Park become best friends with Patrice Evra? “Some critics felt Eric didn't have a great season but he was still the second-highest scorer in the league and set up loads of goals for the players.”. External Link, What does Vidic think of Mourinho's United? By continuing to use our website you consent to cookies being used. Alex Ferguson's team were good enough to deliver on this stage but would have to wait another two years before conquering the continent. However, Cantona has also taken to some rather more strange exploits, for example as coach of the French Beach Football side, taking them to their own World Cup in 2006, where they finished third. We’ll send official updates direct from the club. His biggest acting role came alongside Cate Blanchett in the historical film Elizabeth. He would never play for his country again. I have had a marvellous relationship with the manager, coach, staff and players, and, not least, the fans. It’s questionable whether the complete dominance Man Utd had on the English game in the nineties would have been possible had it not been for ooh ahh Cantona. Hence, his influence on the team was colossal, even if there were always some hoping to criticise or spot a chink in his armour, which was probably inevitable given the forward's arrogant, almost aloof persona, which fitted his regal status of 'The King' perfectly. Eric remains one of the most talked about and unique players the game has ever seen. Istanbul Basaksehir v United: Match preview, Follow us on Via Twitter External Website. However in 1997 Eric announced his early retirement aged only 30. At the time, I was working for ClubCall and had to update the official United line that day as the regular reporter, Peter Smith, was away. Update your browser preferences to start receiving news alerts. Manchester United went on to win the league title that year again. Has there ever been a more ‘French’ Frenchman in football than Eric Cantona? Cantona received a year long ban and 120 hours of community-service for assault.