Eric Cantona Biography -
Introduction -
One person seeing Eric Cantona play in a match will define him as
charismatic, while a different supporter from an opposing stand will
define him as a madman. The truth is that Cantona was a little bit of
everything and his "madness" combined with his
charm and of course, his impressive playing ability earned him a
legendary status wherever he played. Let's take a look at how the
Frenchman progressed throughout his career:
Eric Cantona Biography
– Auxerre -
Born in Marseille, Cantona always hoped he would play soccer for local
giants Olympique, but since he did not get in their youth team, he was
redirected to Auxerre. Auxerre's youth teams would be Cantona's home
for 2 seasons, before being taken on to the first squad at age 18.
His promising future with the team was put on hold for a while, as he
joined the military and carried out his national service for the
entirety of 1984, losing crucial training periods that made him
unusable for Auxerre next season.
Therefore, Eric Cantona was loaned to second division team FC
Martigues, where he would play 15 matches, scoring his first
professional goals. Returning to Auxerre in 1986, he would finally win
his place in the first squad and during his next two seasons with the
club, he managed to score 23 goals that brought him
in the eyes of the team that he was a fan of in his childhood:
Olympique Marseille.
Eric Cantona Biography
– Olympique Marseille -
Unfortunately, Cantona's time at Marseille would not be without bumps.
After just one season with the club, in which he scored only 5 goals,
his coach decided to loan him out so he can get more playing
experience.
Therefore he went on to Bordeaux on a loan transfer, where he would
only play half of 1989's season, before being loaned to another French
first division team, Montpellier. Returning to Marseille in 1990, Eric
Cantona helped the club win their national title,
but he was at odds with Coach Raymond Goethals and Chairman Bernard
Tapie.
His difficult and often conflicting nature meant that he had to move
from Marseille again, but this time on a transfer to Nimes instead of
some short term loan option.
His temper didn't settle down here either: during a match, he threw a
ball in anger towards the referee and when he was called up to a
hearing committee to explain his actions. There, Cantona walked up to
each of the comitee's members and called them "idiot"
straight to the face, earning himself a 3-month ban from the pitch.
Eric Cantona
Biography – Manchester United -
After the events at Nimes, Cantona was decided to retire from football
but he was quickly persuaded back by Michel Platini and Gerard
Houllier, who helped him on a fresh new start in England. Cantona moved
to Leeds United in 1992 and played 28 matches for the club, before he
was bought by the club where he would earn god-like status: Manchester
United.
Eric Cantona is often linked to the revival of Manchester United in the
top of English and European soccer, as he helped the club win the
Premiership title in 1993 and 1994, after a long drought. But Cantona's
madness would strike again in January 1995, in an away match against
Crystal Palace. After being sent-off the pitch, one of the Crystal
Palace supporters in the stand had the unfortunate idea to taunt
Cantona.
I have to admit, what followed is both amusing and shocking: Cantona
flew over the ad boards surrounding the field and kung-fu
kicked the fan in the chest. Subsequently, in the trials
following this incident it was proven that the fan, Matthew Simmons
learned something from Cantona, as he leaped over a bench in the middle
of the trial, kicking the prosecutor in pretty much the same way
Cantona did to him.
Cantona ended his career at Manchester United and the fans still
consider him the savior of the team, as he brought back Man U in the
spotlights after a long time.
