The Legendary Journey of Eric Cantona: Football's Iconic Maestro

You've all heard of the name whispered in reverends by Manchester United fans cursed under the breath of rival supporters. The enigmatic Frenchman, the man who redefined what it meant to be a footballer both on and off the pitch. A maestro with the ball at his feet, a philosopher with a microphone in his hands and a kung fu master when provoked. Sounds weird right? well King Cantona's career has been pretty wild. Let us unpack it like a few cans of beer. Eric Cantona the inscrutable Frenchman who graced the premier league with his brilliance and his unique personality. Born in Marseille, France in 1966, Eric was destined for greatness, his mom was a Spanish seamstress and his dad a nurse and artist. Talk about a unique mash-up! but there is more to Eric's roots than what meets the eye. His grand dad from his moms side was a fighter in the Spanish civil war. Sadly he got injured and had to escape to France with his wife. They ended up settling in Marseille , where Eric was eventually born, lets not forget his Italian roots on his partenal side. His grand dad hailed from Sardinia. He started kicking about for his local team So LesCaillolais , a proper breed ground for talrnt that was. At first young Eric regarded himself as a goalkeeper, following in his dads footsteps but it wasn't long before that creative spark took over he found his true calling upfront banging in goals. His first proffesiona; club was Auxerre , two years in the youth team then boom he made his debut in 1983. Like every lad back in the day, national service came calling. Still, he bagged his first goal for Auxerre in 1985 and showed everyone a glimpse of his brilliance. He was then loaned out at Martigues then back to Auxerre where he signed a pro contract in 1986, he was even called up for the French Ntional team, not bad for a lad from Marseille. Cantonas controversies started started to brew after one encounter with a fan. Cantonas fiery temper got the better of him. He was part of the French U21 side that won the Euros in 1988, even scoring a hat trick against Englands youngsters. That perfomance caught the eye of Marseille and they splash the cash to bring him back home. Marseille wasn't all sunshine and roses , Eric kicked off during a friendly booting the ball into the crowd and ripping his shirt off. The club banned for a month and just a few months before that he'd brrn banned from international matches for a year after having a pop at the national coach on television. Off he went to Bordeaux then Montpellier. Another bust up this time chucking his boots at teammates face, six players wanted him sacked but luckily a few mates stuck up for him and he stayed. He even helped them win the French cup proving his worth. Back to Marseille he went but it didn't last long , another transfer this time to Nimes. In 1991 he lost his cool again throwing the ball at the referee , he was banned for a month then two months after calling the disciplinary board a bunch of idiots, thats when he decided to hang his boots but thankfully Michel Platini the French legend convinced him to give it another go. And so, on the advice of his shrink he packed his backs and headed to England and then started the reign of King ERIC. January 1992, Cantona rocks up at Leeds United, a loan deal at first. A cheeky £100 000 then anothe £900k if they wanted to keep him permanently. Bargain right? Fast forward to August , the Fa charity shield, Leeds were missing a few players but Cantona stepped up. A hat trick against Liverpool, the first one in the shield since Tommy Taylor back in 1957, talk about making an entrance statement. Things took a bit of a twist, Howard Wilkinson , the Leeds United gaffer fancied a more direct approach. Cantona found himself warming the bench. Leeds lost and Eric wasn't happy. He went back to France leaving even before the match kicked off. He later got a start against Manchester City in November but the whole team was horrendous, followed by a couple of shockers. Watford fc knocks Leeds United out of the league cup. Wilkinson caught the blame even though Cantona wasn't pulling exactly pulling up any trees. Eric scored for France against Finland and Wilkinson dropped him anyway blaming a dodgy groin. Leeds won 3-0 against against Arsenal and Cantona was fuming . He was refusing to train, put in a transfer request saying he wanted to go Manchester United. Sir Alex saw this chance and snacked up Cantona. King Eric was now at Old Trafford in 1992. He arrived a bit too late to feature in Uniteds 1-0 win against Arsenal on the 28th of November but he was in the stands soaking it all in. His first appearance in the United shirt was the first of November, he wore the big number 10. His proper debut came a few days later coming on as a sub against Manchester City at Old Trafford. He didn't exactly set the world alight that day, Cantona walked into the "Cliff" Manchester Uniteds old training ground and had the boys mesmerized , he barely said a wordbut his aura and presence was something else. In his first season, the first of the premier league Era, he instilled a different mentality at United. Attacking football, flare, aggression and an absolute refusal to lose. United had been struggling before king Eric arrived. Big spenders like Aston Villa and Blackburn were miles ahead and even Norwich were giving them a run for their money. Goals were hard to come by and it cost them the title the season before. Cantona changed everything, he slaughtered in alongside Mark Hughes, Mc Laren moved to midfield and suddenly United were flying. Cantona wasn't just scoring goals, he was creating them too. His first United draw came in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea and his second on boxing day in a mad 3-3 draw against Sheffield. They were 3 nil down at one point but Cantona inspired them to a comeback. Back at Elland road, Cantona got a bit of a spat , King Eric back at his stomping ground playing for Manchester United. The Leeds United fans weren't exactly giving him a warm welcome. They were booing, jarring and doing the whole lot. And it happened, King Eric lost his cool after afan said something, I don't know exactly what it was but it must have been a right cocker . Eric turned, looked him straight in the eye and gobbed right at him. The crowd went wild and the cameras caught it all. There was no denying and the Fa came down on him like a ton of bricks and slapped him with a £1000 fine. People reckoned it was just Eric being Eric, a bit of passion, a bit of fire while others said it was a disgrace and a stain to the game. I say it was a bit of " you can have that" to the Leeds lot. The 1993 to 1994 was a belter for Manchester United and King Eric Cantona, they held tight to the premier league title and Erics two penalties helped them thrash Chelsea in the FA cup final. Mind you, they did lose the league cup final but hey, you can't win it all. Eric Cantona was on fire that season, he bagged the PFA player of the year award and finished off as Uniteds top scorer with 25 goals in all competitions. Eric couldn't escape a few furores. He got send off in the champions league against Galatasaray and the got his marching orders in two games in a row against Swindon and Arsenal that earned him a five game ban including the FA cup semi-final against Oldham. United drew 1-1 that game but Cantona was back for the replay and helped them win 4-1. Moving onto the first season of squad numbers in the premier league , Cantona got the iconic number 7 which has been worn by legends like George Best and Bryan Robson, talk about Pressure! He carried it off with style scoring a brace against Aston Villa in December putting United 13 points clear at the top of the league. United ended up winning it by 8 points and King Eric was the top scorer again with 26 goals. King Erics behaviour on the pitch went a step higher the following season. The infamous Kung Fu kick! On the 25th of January 1995 everything exploded. After being sent off vs Crystal Palace , a fan yelled racist abuse from the stands. Cantona turned, ran, and kung-fu kicked him. The footage went viral and he was banned for 9 months and fined £20 000. His career and reputation were in balance. Cantona delivered a surreal press conference saying only " when the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. While suspended, he didn't sulk , he trained, obssesed , focused in silence. He refused to be redefined by that moment. Eric returned in October 1995 to face liverpool at Old Trafford. First game back, he assisted a goal then scored a penalty. Old Trafford roared, the King had returned. In 1995|96, United trailed New Castle by 12 points. Cantona led the charge, scoring in seven 1-0 wins. His clutch perfomances were the heartbeat of that season. He scored the winner in 1996 FA cup final against Liverpool, a stunning volley through a crowd of defenders. United completed another double. Eric was unstoppable. That year he was named United's captain. His leadership went beyond goals-he set the tone for class of '92' with the likes of Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and Neville them. In May 1997, at just 30 years old, King Eric retired. No build-up, no farewell, he simply stepped away from the game. He finished his Manchester United career with 4 Premier league titles,,2 FA cups, 82 goals in 185 appearences and a legacy as the man who built Ferguson's empire. After retirement, Cantona pursued acting ,poetry and sometimes beach soccer. He starred in films, narrated documentaries , and remained as enigmatic as ever. To me, he's not just remembered for goals but for the myth. Eric Cantona wasn't just a player. He was theatre, a rebel, a King, and for Manchester United and the fans he still is. When asked about his best moments he said " My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan." One of his quotes that I love the most is 'you can change your wife, your politics, your religion, but never , never can you change your favourite football team." That ladies and gentlemen is King Eric Cantona.

Article by Hulda HK Nganjone.