ric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966)

He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier,

Nmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career
at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in five years
and two League and FA Cup Doubles.


Cantona is often regarded as having played a key role in the revival of
Manchester United as a footballing force and he enjoys iconic status at the
club.

He wore the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by George
Best and Bryan Robson, and subsequently worn by David
Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.


Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King
Eric", and was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside
United magazine.


Set against his footballing achievements was a poor disciplinary record
throughout his career, including a conviction for assault on a fan in 1995.
Following his retirement from football, he took up a career in cinema and had
a role in the 1998 film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett, and the 2009
film Looking for Eric.


In 1984 his footballing career was put on hold as he carried out his national
service. After his discharge he was loaned out to Martigues in the French
Second Division before rejoining Auxerre and signing a professional contract
in 1986. His performances in the First Division were good enough to earn him
his first full international cap. However, his disciplinary problems began in
1987 when he was fined for punching team mate Bruno Martini in the face.



In December 1991, during a match for Nmes he threw the ball at the referee,
having been angered by one of his decisions. He was summoned to a
disciplinary hearing by the French Football Federation and was banned for
one month. Cantona responded by walking up to each member of the hearing
committee in turn and calling him an idiot. His ban was increased to two
months, and Cantona subsequently announced his retirement from football
on 16 December 1991.


The French national team coach Michel Platini was a fan of Cantona, and
persuaded him to make a comeback. On the advice of Grard Houllier as well
as his psychoanalyst, he moved to England to restart his career, "He [my
psychoanalyst] advised me not to sign for Marseille and recommended that I
should go to England."

United's season had been disappointing up to Cantona's signing. They were
falling behind the likes of big spending Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers in the
race for the first Premier League title, as well as surprise challengers
including Norwich City and Queen's Park Rangers. Goal scoring had been a
problem since the halfway point of the previous season when it had cost
them the league title. Brian McClair and Mark Hughes were off form, and
summer signing Dion Dublin had broken his leg early in the season, ruling him
out of action for six months. However, Cantona quickly settled into the team,
not only scoring goals but also creating chances for the other players. His first
United goal came in a 11 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 19
December 1992, and his second came on Boxing Day in a 33 draw against
Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough where they claimed a point after being
30 down at half time. However, controversy was never far away, and on his
return to Elland Road to play Leeds a few weeks later, he spat at a fan and
was fined 1,000 by the FA.


In Cantona's first season at Old Trafford, United won the inaugural Premier
League by 10 points winning the title for the first time since 1967. In doing
so, he became the first player to win back-to-back English top division titles
with different clubs.


On 25 January 1995 he was involved in an incident which attracted headlines
and controversy worldwide. In an away match against Crystal Palace, Cantona
was sent off by the referee for a kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw after
Shaw had pulled his shirt. As he was walking towards the tunnel, Cantona
launched a 'kung-fu' style kick into the crowd, directed at Crystal Palace fan
Matthew Simmons, followed by a series of punches. At a press
conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous
quotation. Cantona said, in a slow and deliberate manner: "When the seagulls
follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the
sea. Thank you very much." He then got up from his seat and left, leaving
many of the assembled crowd bemused. Cantona was arrested and convicted
for assault, resulting in a two week prison sentence. This was overturned in
the appeal court and instead he was sentenced to 120 hours of community
service.

Cantona scored a total of 64 league goals for Manchester United, 11 in
domestic cup competitions, and 5 in the Champions League, bringing his tally
to 80 goals in less than five years.


In 1998, the Football League, as part of its centenary season celebrations,
included Cantona on its list of 100 League Legends. Cantona's achievements
in the English League were further marked in 2002 when he was made an
inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame.


In 2004, Cantona was quoted as saying, "I'm so proud the fans still sing my
name, but I fear tomorrow they will stop. I fear it because I love it. And
everything you love, you fear you will lose."
He was interviewed in the Number 7's issue of United Magazine in August
2006 stating he will only come back to Manchester United as 'Number 1'
(meaning not return as assistant manager or coach) and would create a team
like no other and play the way he thinks football should be played.

To this day, Cantona still harbours resentment for the people at the head of
his national team but also admiration for his adopted football country;
at Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he supported England and not
France.

My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when
I kicked the hooligan.


If you have only one passion in life - football - and you pursue it to the
exclusion of everything else, it becomes very dangerous. When you stop
doing this activity it is as though you are dying. The death of that activity is a
death in itself.


Sometimes you get submerged by emotion. I think it's very important to
express it - which doesn't necessarily mean hitting someone.


He who has regrets cannot look at himself in the mirror.


Every experience makes you a man.

Sometimes in life one experiences an emotion which is so strong that it is
difficult to think, or to reason.


It's my country but I don't want to know about France - I was born there but
I feel English.


When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be
thrown into the sea.

When times are difficult, I tell myself, 'I'm just passing through.'

You can feel very quickly as a prisoner of your past, of the memories.