| Éric Cantona | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona | |
| Date of birth | May 24, 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Paris, France | |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 88 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward (Retired) | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1983–1988 1985–1986 1988–1991 1989 1989–1990 1991 1992 1992–1997 |
Auxerre → Martigues (loan) Marseille → Bordeaux (loan) → Montpellier (loan) Nîmes Leeds United Manchester United Total |
81 (23) 15 (4) 40 (13) 11 (6) 33 (10) 16 (2) 28 (9) 144 (64) 368 (131) |
| National team | ||
| 1987–1995 | France | 45 (20) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966 in Paris raised in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years (being suspended the season without title), including two League and FA Cup "doubles". The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Double is a term in football, which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as "King Eric".
Contents |
Career
France
Cantona's first football club was Auxerre, where he spent two years in the youth team before making his debut in 1983, he actually spent three years there, he was later thrown out of the squad
The whole of 1984 saw Cantona's footballing career put on hold as he carried out his national service. Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, or AJ Auxerre, is a French football team founded in 1905 playing in the town of Auxerre in National service is a common name for mandatory or voluntary government service programs (most often focusing on military service After his discharge he was loaned out to Martigues in the French Second Division. FC Martigues ( Football Club de Martigues) play in the Championnat National, which is the third level of football in France. 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. A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports However, the first of his disciplinary problems had already begun when in 1987 he was heavily fined for punching team mate Bruno Martini in the face [1]
The following year Cantona was again in trouble because of a dangerous tackle on Nantes player, Michel Der Zakarian, resulting in a three month suspension from the game [2] He was part of the French under-21 side that won the 1988 U21 European Championship and shortly after that success, he transferred to Marseille, the club he supported as a boy, for a French record fee. Bruno Martini (born January 25, 1962 in Nevers) is a former Football (soccer goalkeeper Michel Der Zakarian ( Armenian: Միքայել Տեր–Զաքարյան born on February 18, 1963 in Yerevan, Soviet Union) The France national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The UEFA U-21 Championship 1988, which spanned two years (1986-88 had 30 entrants Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football Cantona had quite often shown signs of being 'short tempered' in his career to date, and in January 1989 during a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow he kicked the ball at the crowd and ripped off and threw away his jersey after being substituted. FC Torpedo Moscow (Russian Футбольный клуб "Торпедо" Москва is a Russian football club based in Moscow. His club responded by banning him for a month. Just a few months earlier, he had been banned from international matches for one year after insulting the national coach on TV. [3]
Having struggled to settle at Marseille, Cantona moved to Bordeaux on a six-month loan and then to Montpellier on a year-long loan. FC Girondins de Bordeaux is a French football team playing in the city of Bordeaux. Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French football club based in Montpellier currently playing in Ligue 2. At Montpellier, he was involved in a fight with team-mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. Jean-Claude Lemoult (born August 28, 1960 in Neufchâteau Vosges) is a French former professional Football (soccer player The incident led to six players demanding that Cantona be sacked. However, with the support of team-mates such as Laurent Blanc and Carlos Valderrama, the club retained his services though banned him for ten days [4]. Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965 in Alès) is a retired French football defender and current manager of Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (born September 2, 1961 in Santa Marta, Colombia) is a former Colombian footballer. Cantona was instrumental as the team went on to win the French Cup and his form persuaded Marseille to take him back.
Back at Marseille, Cantona initially played well under the new coach Franz Beckenbauer. Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach manager and former player nicknamed der Kaiser However, the Marseille chairman Bernard Tapie was not satisfied with the results, and replaced Beckenbauer with Raymond Goethals with whom Cantona did not see eye-to-eye. Bernard Tapie (born January 26 1943 in Paris) is a French Businessman, Politician and occasional actor singer and TV host Raymond Goethals ( 7 October 1921 - 6 December 2004) was a Belgian football coach who notably led Marseille to victory in Cantona was also continually at odds with Tapie and despite helping the team win the French Division 1 title, he was transferred to Nîmes the following season. Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Nîmes Olympique is a Football (soccer team based in Nîmes, France, founded on April 10 1937.
In December 1991, during a match for Nîmes 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. The French Football Federation (FFF (Fédération Française de Football is the governing body of Football in France. Cantona responded by walking up to each member of the hearing committee in turn and calling him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 3 months. For Cantona this was the last straw and he announced his retirement from football in December 1991.
The French national team coach Michel Platini was a keen fan of Cantona, and persuaded him to make a comeback. Michel François Platini (born June 21, 1955) is a French former football player manager and current president of the UEFA. On the advice of Gérard Houllier, he moved to England to restart his career. Gérard Houllier OBE, (ʒeʁaʁ ulje born 3 September, 1947, in Thérouanne, Pas-de-Calais, France) is a
England
Leeds United
On 6th November 1991 after Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Auxerre in a UEFA Cup 2nd round 2nd leg tie at Anfield, Graeme Souness, the manager of Liverpool at the time was met by Frenchman Michel Platini at the end of the game, and told him he had a player that would like to play for Liverpool, he said his name was Eric Cantona. Graeme James Souness (ˈsuːnɨs (born 6 May, 1953 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager Michel François Platini (born June 21, 1955) is a French former football player manager and current president of the UEFA. Souness told him thank you but he did not want any trouble and declined his offer. In January 1992 Cantona came to England for a trial with Sheffield Wednesday, managed by Trevor Francis. Football is the National sport of England and plays a significant role in English culture. Trevor John Francis (born 19 April 1954 in Boxhill, Plymouth, England) is a former footballer who won 52 caps When offered an extension to the trial, he found this insulting and subsequently joined Leeds United A. F. C. , where he was an important part of the team that won the final old First Division championship in 1991-92. The Football League First Division was the highest division of The Football League between 1993 and 2004 and the highest division of English football overall between He was also inspirational in the Charity Shield 4-3 win over Liverpool in 1992, scoring a hat-trick. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary
He however left Leeds before the end of the 1992-93 season, which saw them finishing 17th out of 22 in the newly formed Premier League, moving to Manchester United in November 1992 for the relatively small fee of £1. 2 million, much to the disgust of the Leeds fans, although Howard Wilkinson, the Leeds United manager, was eager for him to leave.
Manchester United
Cantona's first appearance for Manchester United was against Benfica in Lisbon, in a friendly match to mark the 50th birthday of Eusébio. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in He made his competitive debut as a second half substitute against Manchester City at Old Trafford, on December 6th, 1992. United won 2-1, though Cantona made little impact that day.
United's season had been disappointing up to Cantona's signing. They had had problems scoring goals: Brian McClair and Mark Hughes were off form, and summer signing Dion Dublin had broken his leg early in the season. Brian John McClair (b December 8 1963, Bellshill, Scotland) is a former Scottish international football player who played as Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales) nicknamed Sparky, is a former Welsh international football Dion Dublin (born 22 April 1969 in Leicester, Leicestershire) is an English former footballer. However, Cantona quickly settled into the team, not only scoring many goals but also creating chances for the other players. His first United goal came in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 19th 1992. It was against Tottenham Hotspur on January 9th 1993, that Cantona really showed his class, scoring one and having a hand in the other goals in a 4-1 victory. However, controversy was never far away and on his return to Elland Road to play Leeds he spat at a fan and was fined £1,000 by the FA [5].
For the next two years, United went on an amazing run, winning the inaugural Premiership in 1993. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs By winning that title, Cantona became the only player ever to win back-to-back titles with different clubs. They retained the Premiership and with Cantona's two penalties helping them to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. A penalty kick is a type of free kick in Association football, taken from twelve yards (approximately eleven metres out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after Cantona was voted PFA Player Of The Year in 1994. However, his serious disciplinary problem had not dissipated, being sent off a record 4 times in the Premier league season. [1]
In the following season Cantona became infamous for an incident that occurred on 25 January 1995. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 In an away match against Crystal Palace, after being sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw (after Shaw had pulled his shirt), he launched a 'kung-fu' style kick against a Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons followed by a series of punches [6]. Crystal Palace FC is an English football club based in South Norwood, London. Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player which is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or dismissal in accordance A referee presides over a game of Association football. The referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which Richard Shaw (born 11 September 1968 in Brentford, Middlesex) is an English former professional football player and Simmons was later tried for threatening language and behaviour, and attacked the prosecution counsel after being found guilty, leaping over a bench and executing a flying kick of his own. He was sentenced to seven days in jail, but only served 24 hours of his sentence. [7] At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous quotation. A news conference or press conference is a Media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and most often ask questions Referring to how journalists would constantly monitor his behaviour, Cantona said, in a slow and deliberate manner:
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea"
He then got up from his seat and left, leaving many of the assembled crowd bemused. A reporter is a type of Journalist who Researches and presents information in certain types of Mass media. He was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after an appeal court overturned a 2 week prison sentence for assault. Community service refers to service that a person performs for the benefit of his or her local Community. The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords above Assault is a Crime of Violence against another person. In some Jurisdictions including Australia and New Zealand, He was suspended by The Football Association from world football until the following October and fined £10,000. The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey The FA Chief Executive Graham Kelly described his attack as "a stain on our game" that brought shame on football [8]. Manchester United also fined Cantona two weeks wages [9] and he was stripped of the French captaincy; his club eventually lost the Premiership title to Blackburn. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.
There had been much speculation that Cantona would leave English football when his ban finished, but Alex Ferguson persuaded him to stay in Manchester and Cantona was once again inspirational. Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE, (born 31 December 1941 in Govan, Glasgow) is a Scottish football manager United had sold several key players at the start of the season and replaced them with players from the club's youth team and their prospects of winning the league were not looking good. Much hype surrounded Cantona's return game, against Liverpool on 1 October 1995. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 In the match, Cantona set up a goal for Nicky Butt inside 2 minutes, and then scored a penalty after Ryan Giggs had been upended. Nicholas "Nicky" Butt (born January 21, 1975 in Gorton, Manchester) is an English footballer who currently plays Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973 in Ely, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom Eight months without competitive football had inevitably taken its toll and Cantona struggled for form prior to Christmas. Things then changed, however, with his goals helping United to recapture the league having been twelve points behind Newcastle United in January 1996. Newcastle United Football Club (also known as The Magpies or The Toon) is an English football club based in Newcastle upon There was a spate of important 1-0 wins for United, with Cantona the goal scorer, but a 0-3 victory against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium decided the title. Middlesbrough Football Club, also known as The Boro are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Premier League. The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough F Fittingly, it was the same 1-0 scoreline, and the same scorer, in that year's FA Cup Final against Liverpool, with Cantona becoming the first foreign player to lift the FA Cup as captain. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. The strike of that match happened with 5 minutes remaining and was perhaps Eric Cantona's most famous goal of his career. A corner from the left side troubled Liverpool keeper David James who attempted to fist the ball out of the box. Instead, the ball was deflected down the middle to the top of the box. Cantona, who had backed away when the corner was sent, lined up and took an extremely athletic twisting volley with his right foot firing the ball through a sea of defenders into the net. The game was won. His redemption was complete after the scandals and lows of a year earlier. Cantona gave a post-match interview saying: "You know that's life. Up and down. " Manchester United became the first team to win "the double" twice.
Cantona galvanised the United team to greater success with the likes of Ryan Giggs and youngsters David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville emerging under his influence. Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973 in Ely, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom David Robert Joseph Beckham, and is also a member of the England national team. Paul Aaron Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football player who has spent his whole career at Manchester United. Gary Alexander Neville (born February 18, 1975 in Bury, Greater Manchester) is an English football player As United retained the league in the 1996-97 season, Cantona had won four league titles in five years with United (six in seven years including those won with Marseille and Leeds United), the exception being the 1995 season which he had largely missed through suspension. At the end of an admittedly lacklustre season by his standards, which was fuelled by United's elimination at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, he announced that he was retiring from football at the age of 30 which came as a surprise, and was met with great dismay by United fans. BV Borussia Dortmund is a German football club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia and one of the most successful clubs See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club His final competitive game came against West Ham on 11th May 1997, and his final appearance before retiring was five days later on Friday 16th May in a testimonial for David Busst against Coventry City at Highfield Road, in which Eric scored twice in a 2-2 draw. David Busst (pronounced Boost (born 30 June, 1967 in Birmingham) is a former English footballer and current football community officer Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip is an association football club based in Coventry, Cantona scored a total of 64 league goals for Manchester United, 11 in domestic cup competitions, and 5 in The Champions League.
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. "
In 2006 The Sun newspaper reported Cantona as saying that Manchester United had lost their soul and that the current players were a bunch of sheep. The Sun is a Tabloid daily newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the highest circulation of any daily English-language The Old Trafford idol reckoned the days of maverick entertainers like himself and George Best were gone and feared the Red Devils were betraying their past by putting out boring, functional teams. George Best (22 May 1946 &ndash 25 November 2005 was a Northern Irish professional football player best known for his years with Manchester United. However on the Contrary 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.
Cantona opposed the Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United, and has stated that he will not return to the club, even as a manager, while the Glazer family is in charge. After Manchester United FC was floated on the stock market in 1990 the high value of the club made it seem unlikely that a hostile takeover would be possible This came as a disappointment to the many United fans who voted him as their choice for United's next manager in survey over the summer of 2000. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. [10]
French National Team
Eric Cantona was given his full international début against West Germany in August 1987 by the then national team manager Henri Michel. The German national football team (Die deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft From 1950 to 1990 the team was also informally called West Germany in English as since The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1987 throughout the world In September 1988, angered after being dropped from the national team, Cantona insulted Michel in a post-match TV interview and was indefinitely banned from all international matches. However, Michel was sacked shortly after that having failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup.
The new coach was Michel Platini and one of his first acts was to recall Cantona who was a favourite of his. Michel François Platini (born June 21, 1955) is a French former football player manager and current president of the UEFA. He claimed that Cantona would be selected as long as he was playing competitive top-class football; Platini had initiated Cantona's move to England to restart his career. France qualified for the 1992 European Football Championship held in Sweden, but failed to win a single game despite the striking partnership of Cantona and Jean-Pierre Papin. The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden. Jean-Pierre Papin (born November 5, 1963 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) is a French former football player and now manager Platini resigned after the finals to be replaced by Gérard Houllier. Gérard Houllier OBE, (ʒeʁaʁ ulje born 3 September, 1947, in Thérouanne, Pas-de-Calais, France) is a
Under Houllier, France then failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U. The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17 1994 S. after losing the final game 2:1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would have sufficed. The Bulgaria national football team is the national football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. David Ginola gave away possession in the game which led to Bulgaria's winning goal by Emil Kostadinov. David Ginola (born January 25, 1967 in Gassin, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) is a former French international football Emil Kostadinov (Емил Костадинов (born August 12, 1967 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian football Striker, former Cantona was reportedly angry with Ginola after the game. Houllier resigned and Aimé Jacquet took over. Aimé Jacquet (born November 27, 1941) is a French football coach and former player and manager of the France national football
Jacquet began to rebuild the national team in preparation for Euro 96 (the 1996 European Championship) and appointed Cantona as the captain. The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 96) was hosted by England. Cantona remained the captain until the Selhurst Park incident in January 1995. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1995 throughout the world The suspension which resulted from this incident also prevented him from playing in international matches.
By the time Cantona's suspension had been completed, he had lost his role as the team's playmaker to another star, Zinedine Zidane, as Jacquet had revamped the squad with some new blood and built it around Zidane. Cantona, Papin and Ginola were never again selected for the French team and missed Euro 96. Though there was criticism about Cantona's omission, as he was playing his best football in the FA Premier League, Jacquet himself stated that the team had done well without Cantona, and that he wanted to keep faith with the players who had taken them so far. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs [11] The decision was vindicated as Les Bleus subsequently won the World Cup in 1998. The French national football team represents the nation of France in international football. The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th staging of the World Cup was held in France from June 10 to July 12 after 60 years to celebrate the third edition scheduled
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. The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship (or just Euro 2004) was the twelfth edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament [2].
Career in "retirement"
Cantona's subsequent career has mostly been in the French cinema, primarily as an actor although he has also directed a short film Apporte-moi ton amour in 2002; outside of France, he had a role as the French ambassador in the movie Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett in 1998. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Elizabeth is a 1998 film loosely based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969 is an Academy Award -winning Australian Actress and Stage director. See filmography below.
Since retiring from professional football Cantona has appeared in numerous European television advertisements, especially for Nike. Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. Cantona made cameos in two memorable commercials, one starring the Brazilian national team playing football in an airport, and another involving the national teams of both Brazil and Portugal. In a worldwide advertising campaign during the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he starred as the organiser of "underground" games (branded by Nike as "Scorpion KO") between football players like Thierry Henry, Hidetoshi Nakata, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Luís Figo. The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. Thierry Daniel Henry ( born 17 August 1977 Hidetoshi Nakata (中田 英寿 Nakata Hidetoshi; born January 22, 1977 in Yamanashi Prefecture) is a Japanese former football Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (xo'nawdʊ lu'iz na'zaɾjʊ dʒɪ 'limɐ born September 18, 1976. Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born April 10, 1973, Garça, São Paulo) better known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, (born 4 November 1972 in Almada, Portugal) is a professional Portuguese footballer In an earlier UK Nike commercial, he appeared playing "amateur" football on Hackney Marshes with other stars including Ian Wright, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler. Hackney Marshes is an area of grassland on the western bank of the River Lee in the London Borough of Hackney. Ian Edward Wright, MBE (born 3 November 1963 in Woolwich, London) is an English former professional footballer who won the Golden Steven "Steve" McManaman (born 11 February 1972 in Bootle, Merseyside, England) is an English former footballer of the Robert Bernard 'Robbie' Fowler, (born 9 April 1975 in Toxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is an English footballer In a Nike campaign in the advance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, nearly ten years after his retirement, Cantona appears as the lead spokesman for the "Joga Bonito" organization, an association attempting to eliminate acting and fake play from football. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament Joga Bonito ("Play Beautifully" in Portuguese) is a football -oriented Social network service created by Nike and Google He also starred in an Irish EuroMillions advertisement. EuroMillions is a pan- European Lottery, launched by the Française des Jeux in France, the Loterias y Apuestas del Estado in He has gained a considerable amount of weight since retiring from professional football, and now sports a beard, rendering him almost unrecognizable from his playing days.
Shortly after his departure from Manchester United, Cantona became captain of the French National Beach Football team. In team sports a captain is a title given to the member of the team Cantona has continued his interest in beach soccer games in southern Asia and at the Inaugural Kronenbourg beach soccer in 2002, in the city of Brighton. He managed the French Team which won the inaugural FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2005 in Rio de Janeiro. The Federation International Football Association (FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is a association football (soccer Competition in beach football organised He also coached the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup French National Team, which finished in third place.
In 1998, the Football League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Cantona on its list of 100 League Legends. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1998 throughout the world The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs The Football League 100 Legends is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by The Football League in 1998, to celebrate the 100th
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. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 2002 throughout the world The Hall of Fame is housed at The National Football Museum in Preston, England.
Career statistics
| Club Performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| France | League | Coupe de France | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 1983-84 | Auxerre | Division 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1984-85 | 5 | 2 | - | - | 5 | 2 | ||||
| 1985-86 | 7 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 1985-86 | Martigues | Division 2 | 15 | 4 | - | - | 15 | 4 | ||
| 1986-87 | Auxerre | Division 1 | 36 | 13 | - | - | 36 | 13 | ||
| 1987-88 | 32 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 10 | ||
| 1988-89 | Olympique Marseille | Division 1 | 22 | 5 | - | - | 22 | 5 | ||
| 1988-89 | Girondins Bordeaux | Division 1 | 11 | 6 | - | - | 11 | 6 | ||
| 1989-90 | Montpellier | Division 1 | 33 | 10 | 8 | 8 | - | 41 | 18 | |
| 1990-91 | Olympique Marseille | Division 1 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 10 |
| 1991-92 | Nîmes Olympique | Division 1 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 19 | 4 | |
| England | League | FA Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 1991-92 | Leeds United | First Division | 15 | 3 | 7 | 0 | - | 22 | 3 | |
| 1992-93 | Premier League | 13 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 10 | |
| 1992-93 | Manchester United | Premier League | 22 | 9 | 3 | 2 | - | 25 | 11 | |
| 1993-94 | 34 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 22 | ||
| 1994-95 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 12 | ||
| 1995-96 | 30 | 14 | - | - | 30 | 14 | ||||
| 1996-97 | 36 | 11 | - | 10 | 3 | 46 | 14 | |||
| Total | France | 198 | 58 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 224 | 72 | |
| England | 171 | 73 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 6 | 218 | 85 | ||
| Career Total | 369 | 131 | 46 | 18 | 27 | 8 | 442 | 157 | ||
Family
Cantona was married to Isabelle Ferrer, they have two children. This is about the football competition for the rugby see Coupe de France (rugby. The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1983/1984 of the French Association Football League with 54 points Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, or AJ Auxerre, is a French football team founded in 1905 playing in the town of Auxerre in Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1984/1985 of the French Association Football League with 59 points Paris Saint-Germain FC won Division 1 season 1985/1986 of the French Association Football League with 55 points FC Martigues ( Football Club de Martigues) play in the Championnat National, which is the third level of football in France. Ligue 2 is the second division of French football. It is one of two divisions making up the LFP, the other being Ligue 1, which is France's top Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1986/1987 of the French Association Football League with 53 points Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, or AJ Auxerre, is a French football team founded in 1905 playing in the town of Auxerre in Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade AS Monaco won Division 1 season 1987/1988 of the French Association Football League with 52 points Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1988/1989 of the French Association Football League with 73 points Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1988/1989 of the French Association Football League with 73 points FC Girondins de Bordeaux is a French football team playing in the city of Bordeaux. Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1989/1990 of the French Association Football League with 53 points Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French football club based in Montpellier currently playing in Ligue 2. Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1990/1991 of the French Association Football League with 55 points Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1991/1992 of the French Association Football League with 58 points Nîmes Olympique is a Football (soccer team based in Nîmes, France, founded on April 10 1937. Current Teams (2008-2009 Ligue 1 teams in European competitions The original European Cup of 1955-56 featured Real Madrid against Stade The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. Statistics of The Football League in season 1991 / 1992. Overview First Division The last-ever league championship before the Leeds United Association Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Leeds United or informally Leeds, are an English professional football The Football League First Division was the highest division of The Football League between 1993 and 2004 and the highest division of English football overall between The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs He is now married to actress Rachida Brakni. Rachida Brakni (born 15 February 1977 Paris) is a French actress of Algerian origin He has two other close relations that play professional football: his brother Joël Cantona played for Olympique de Marseille, Újpesti TE and Stockport County (and is also now an actor), whilst his nephew Sacha Opinel currently plays for Ebbsfleet United F.C.
Partial filmography
- Le bonheur est dans le pré - 1995 - Lionel
- Eleven Men Against Eleven - 1995 - Player (uncredited)
- Elizabeth - 1998 - Monsieur de Foix
- Mookie - 1998 - Antoine Capella
- Les enfants du marais - 1999 - Jo Sardi
- La grande vie! (English title: The High Life) - 2001 - Joueur de pétanque 2
- L'Outremangeur (English title: The Over-Eater) - 2003 - Séléna
- Les Clefs de bagnole (English title: The Car Keys) - 2003
- La vie est à nous - 2005
- Une belle histoire - 2005
- Lisa et le pilote d'avion - 2007
- Le Deuxième souffle (English title: Second Wind) - 2007
- JACK SAYS - 2007
Quotations
By him
- "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Joël Cantona (Born October 28, 1967) is a French former footballer, and brother of Eric Cantona. Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football Újpest Football Club (usually known simply as Újpest), earlier known as Újpesti TE (UTE and Újpesti Dózsa, is a Hungarian Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, England. Sacha Opinel (born 9 April 1977 in Bourg-Saint-Maurice) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ebbsfleet United as a defender Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English football team currently playing in the Football Conference. Happiness Is in the Field (French Le bonheur est dans le pré) is a French comedy directed by Étienne Chatiliez in 1995. Elizabeth is a 1998 film loosely based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. [3]"
- "My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan. "
- "I didn't study; I live. You can't study these things - life teaches them to you. You don't find them in a book. . . I've read a lot of Socrates on Page 3 of the Sun. "
- "Sometimes in life one experiences an emotion which is so strong that it is difficult to think, or to reason. Sometimes you get submerged by emotion. I think it's very important to express it - which doesn't necessarily mean hitting someone. I am very mistrustful of people who are constantly over-intellectualising things. It kills passion. You have to allow yourself to lose control from time to time. "
- "I feel close to the rebelliousness and vigour of the youth here. Perhaps time will separate us, but nobody can deny that here, behind the windows of Manchester, there is an insane love of football, of celebration and of music. "
- "When you are a rich man you are proud to own a Rolls Royce and when you are a poor man you are proud to own a Renault. "
- "France does not deserve Auxerre. . . England maybe, but France does not. " about his youth club AJ Auxerre. Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, or AJ Auxerre, is a French football team founded in 1905 playing in the town of Auxerre in
- "The Irish public should bow to the feet of Roy Keane, not slate him as he is the best player they will ever have to boast. Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971 in Mayfield, Cork) is an Irish former professional footballer and the current manager of "
- "After his first training session in heaven, George Best, from his favourite right wing, turned the head of God who was filling in at left-back. George Best (22 May 1946 &ndash 25 November 2005 was a Northern Irish professional football player best known for his years with Manchester United. He nutmegged him and scored a wonderful goal from 30 yards out. I would love him to save me a place in his team - George Best that is, not God. "
- "I am God. "
- "Football is like making love, if you can't last 90 minutes like me, you wont win"
- "I might have said that, but on the whole I talk a lot of rubbish. "
- "I don't play against a particular team. I play against the idea of losing. " The latter part of the quote was scrawled on Cantona's body for his official photograph for FIFA 100, Pelé's list of the 125 greatest living footballers. The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé 's choice of the "greatest living footballers"
- Described national teammate Didier Deschamps derisively as "the water-carrier". Didier Deschamps (French didje deˈʃɑ̃ (born 15 October 1968 in Bayonne) is a former French football player who captained Cantona meant that Deschamps only existed to pass the ball to more talented players.
- "I had heart, and I know without heart you cannot play. "
- "No, it is me. " (After being asked whether Zinédine Zidane or Michel Platini was the greatest-ever French footballer [4])
- "Goals are like babies. Michel François Platini (born June 21, 1955) is a French former football player manager and current president of the UEFA. . . They are all beautiful. "
About him
- "How to create space, and then weave past a couple of defenders, McClair, here's Cantona! He's done it! That is magnificent by Cantona. Brian John McClair (b December 8 1963, Bellshill, Scotland) is a former Scottish international football player who played as And after all his problems, and his lack of form, and the criticism that's come his way, there is the perfect riposte. " (Famous Words of commentator Jon Champion in the game between Manchester United F.C. vs. Jon Champion (born 23 May 1965 in Harrogate, England) is a freelance television Commentator who works for ITV Sport and Sunderland A.F.C. match at Old Trafford, 21st of December, 1996. Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional Association football team based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, which plays in )
- "I'd give all the champagne I've ever drunk to be playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford. " (George Best, 1960s Manchester United legend, pays a fine compliment to Éric)
- "Collar turned up, back straight, chest stuck out, he glided into the arena as if he owned the fucking place. George Best (22 May 1946 &ndash 25 November 2005 was a Northern Irish professional football player best known for his years with Manchester United. Any arena, but nowhere more effectively than Old Trafford. This was his stage. He loved it, the crowd loved him" (Roy Keane, Cantona's successor as Manchester United captain. Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971 in Mayfield, Cork) is an Irish former professional footballer and the current manager of )
- "Who needs Pelé?!" John Motson commentating on Manchester United FC vs. John Walker Motson OBE (born 10 July 1945, Salford, Greater Manchester) sometimes known as Motty, is an English football Chelsea FC in the 1993-94 season. Cantona had just rattled the bar from the halfway line.
- Paul Ince about Cantona before he entered court: 'We stayed at the Croydon Park hotel. Paul Emerson Herbert Carlyle Ince (born 21 October 1967 in Ilford, London) is an English football manager who is currently So we got up in the morning and I've got me suit on - the nuts, know what I mean? I knock on Éric's door and he's standing in jacket, white shirt, long collars like that [he gestures to describe long, pointed collars], unbuttoned so you can see his chest. "Eric, you can't go to court like that", I told him and he says, "I am Cantona, I can go as I want"'.
- "If a Frenchman goes on about seagulls, trawlers and sardines, he’s called a philosopher. I’d just be called a short Scottish bum talking crap. " Gordon Strachan in response to Cantona's famous quote following the 1995 Crystal Palace-Simmons incident. This page is about the footballer and manager Gordon C Strachan was indicted in the Watergate scandal Gordon David Strachan (/strɔn/
- "Cantona making an early run. . . here he is. Lovely goal. Lovely goal. " This commentary was used in a song "Ooh Aah Cantona" and Man United fans still recite the commentary to one another.
Bibliography
- Wightman, Rob (2002). FourFourTwo Great Footballers: Eric Cantona. Virgin Books. Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book Publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally ISBN 978-0-7535-0662-2.
- Cantona, Eric (1996). Cantona on Cantona: Reflections of a sporting legend. Andre Deutsch. ISBN 978-0-233-99045-3.
- Robinson, Michael (1995). La Philosophie De Cantona. Prentice Hall. Prentice Hall is a leading educational publisher It is an Imprint of Pearson Education Inc ISBN 978-1-898051-39-8.
- Blacker, Terence; William Donaldson (1997). The Meaning of Cantona: Meditations on Life, Art and Perfectly Weighted Balls. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85158-950-0.
References
- Biography on the official Manchester United website
Notes
- ^ - The Independent - London - HighBeam Research
- ^ THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ERIC CANTONA - The Independent - London - HighBeam Research
- ^ Cantona returns to Old Trafford - Cricket News - Telegraph
- ^ Cantona subseqeuntly played a role in Blanc's arrival at Old Trafford after Euro 2000 having boasted about the talent Blanc possessed. Cantona returns to Old Trafford - Cricket News - Telegraph
- ^ Cantona returns to Old Trafford - Cricket News - Telegraph
- ^ Cantona hits fan, faces lengthy ban | Football | guardian.co.uk
- ^ The target | News | guardian.co.uk Football
- ^ French Star's 'Stain' on English Soccer - International Herald Tribune
- ^ idrottsforum.org | Artikel | The Role of Law within Sport
- ^ BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Cantona hits out at Glazer family
- ^ FourFourTwo Great Footballers: Eric Cantona p. 198
External links
- Career profile with pictures
- Ooh aah Cantona from thefa.com
- Eric Cantona: Appreciation, Recollections, Career Details
- Idle Idol: Eric Cantona by Robert Newman
- Eric Cantona career stats at Soccerbase
- Eric Cantona player stats at National Football Teams
- A fans view of the King of Old Trafford
- A WHO`S WHO of MANCHESTER UNITED FC
- Eric Cantona at the Internet Movie Database
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Jürgen Klinsmann |
FWA Footballer of the Year 1996 |
Succeeded by Gianfranco Zola |
Preceded by Paul McGrath |
PFA Players' Player of the Year 1994 |
Succeeded by Alan Shearer |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Steve Bruce |
Manchester United Captain 1996 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Roy Keane |
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Papin |
France national football team Captain 1993 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Didier Deschamps |
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