They don’t win their first league title which means it’s doubtful whether they’d win any of the other 4 he won with them. History would have been very different. Howard Wilkinson was an idiot for selling him, typical Yorkshire stubbornness.
I remember the day he signed for Leeds as it was a big deal them getting him ahead of Wednesday, he pretty much guaranteed them the title. I'm an Ipswich fan but still loved watching this guy play
@@StoutProperAs long as Ferguson was in Man Utd, they would win everything they won anyway. Cantona was just another cog in the machine, easily replaceable. As a matter of fact, later Man Utd was way better then Cantona's Man Utd.
IM ARSENAL 4 LIFE BUT WE RESPECT ONLY 3 GOAT PLAYERS : (BESIDE OUR HENRY) GERRARD, SHEARER AND CANTONA. 3 BEST PLAYERS IN PREMIERE LEAGUE IN HISTORY EVER !!
@@PIP...33 I agree mate those 4 players are indeed respect on GOAT level. I am Leeds fan. I love Cantona forever, but Bergkamp Henry Shearer and Gerrard are simply best ever to step a foot on England pitch. We also respect Maldini tho never played here , he is GOAT best ever !!
@@perditadurango9699 NO DOUBT. MALDINI IS NUMBER 1. U START TEAM FRANCHISE WITH HIM! I ALSO RESPECT THURAM TO ME HE IS 2ND BEST IN HISTORY. AND OVERALL MOST COMPLETE PLAYERS ARE GULLIT AND BEST PLAYER EVER JOHAN.
@@PIP...33Steven Gerrard for me is something special, no player comes next to him. Eric was the best of the naughty boys we've seen in the PL & world football. I love that age of football.
Cantona was the Michael Jordan of the EPL in the 90s. 4 titles in 5 years. He would have won 5 in 5 if not for the kung fu kick. His game was never about goals. He has almost as many assists as goals. When he played, he made his teammates better. Whenever he played, he was the best player on the pitch and he knew it. Thats why he was so confident. He retired in 1997 yet fans still chant his name till today.
@@davidc5170 striker's don't hold up the ball... They strike it... But I agree he did a lot of holding up of the ball and played it through. Forward is the furthest positional term he should be afforded. Playmaker, guru, god, but not the man who was furthest forward looking for the goals...
@@Bugdenl "Strikers don't hold up the ball" I take it with a statement like that you've only just start watching football recently. Strikers are the furthest forward so of course they hold up the ball and bring others in to play. Mark Hughes was brilliant at it, Andy Cole learned how to do it when he came to us. Alan Shearer did it at times, cos strikers are the focal and there is no one ahead of them they need to be able to play with their backs to goal and hold up the ball.
This is the exact reason why I love Ibrahimovic so much, he is just like Cantona back then, you rarely see these types of players anymore that make it that far in their career.
Cantona was more influential than Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic is great against mid table and lower league teams making a master to win leagues. But when it came to crunch time against big teams in big matches in particular the champions league, he doesn't seem to cash in. Cantona on the other hand is a big game player with the midas touch when required to deliver at the apex of football
Zlatan was unique but he was nothing like Cantona, hadn't the range of skill Cantona had and to be entirely honest although I love and respect Zlatan Cantona was by some considerable distance a better player in almost all regards. Zlatan was a better goal scorer and scored more in one season than Cantona ever did. He is similar in attitude.
Even with his shortcomings (arrogance, ego, and violence), what comes first is his passion, enthusiasm, and love for the game...he is the mindset that United needed, and that is the foundation on which United's winner mentality was put together... As Jose puts it "Nice boys only win the fair play cup"😅
I cried when he quit. It coincided with one of the worst years of my life. Eric was ...... just the best player, not just for his goals,but the assists and his influence on the team. He is and always will be the King. Eric is still humble as a man. Not many ex players can match his humanity. They're all about image. Eric is a one off, there will never be another football player like him.
I think what makes Cantona special is that he had the full package of being a legend skills and character but it had to take 1 man to make him right who was SAF, and they both benefited each other with their greatness. And the fact that he wanted to retire early because he wanted to enjoy life still young tells you he’s a sentimental man. We’ll never ever have a player and a character like him anymore in football ever. Amazing video as always, loves the ending. It was beautiful
Solskjaer, Neville, Beckham, Giggs, Schmeichel, Irwin, Keane.. Cantona was the 'Mourinho' of footballers, and soaked pressure like a black hole. His team performed admirably as he absorbed everything that was thrown at his 'team' and let his feet do the talking, no pun intended. What a man manger Alex Ferguson was. Also, who still remembers his iconic advertisement "Au Revoir" then flipping up the collars.
I remember a huge poster in my local sports shop(for Nike maybe) it showed Cantona (from the back) by himself,kit on in the United tunnel,the slogan said "He's done his time,now it is everyone else's time to pay" advertising his return from 9 month suspension, gave me goosebumps anticipating his return- Iconic poster,Iconic time,Iconic player
I was lucky enough to see Cantona twice (home debut v Man City and at White Hart Lane) and he was astoinishing to watch, a colossus on the pitch. It was impossible to take your eyes off him, he dominated the games. His presence was vast, his influence was everywhere. You can keep your Ronaldo and your Messi, neither of them has ever been called King. GOAT means nothing. King is special, unique, indomitable. Cest maginifique.
amazing video - my fav player of all time. An absolute winner. Kids today don't understand. Won the title in every full season he played in England - No one comes close.
Cantona embodied everything that made football the greatest thing when I was growing up -The screamers - The flicks - The aggression -The arrogance -The madness Limbs everywhere we went watching United. Grown men hugging strangers singing his songs. Everyone in the playground wearing their collars up. Being a local kid you couldn't do anything else but fall in love with it all. I'm so glad I had that as part of my childhood. The 90's were great, and The king was the superstar of them. Some players are just fantastically skilled individuals and athletes, others like Eric are talismans for something bigger. Hero
On behalf of my fellow Manchester United supporters, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Leeds United for signing Eric Cantona. Imagine if they hadn’t, he’d have left England and we may never had signed him and the success United & SAF enjoyed might never had happened either. For that, Thank You Leeds, y’all made it possible and y’all are part of our history forever and ever. Long Live The King! 🙏😂
Being a young kid in England during the mid 90's nobody took your attention like Cantona. Back then unless you had money, you would only get FA Cup games to watch. He was a star in Cup Finals
i can't even begin to express how much i'm still on cantona's side over the kick. he's a man who needs faith and respect to thrive. they're tantamount to love, in his mind, and when they are withdrawn, he ceases to owe you anything except contempt. which is as much as you deserve.
His sheer influence on the kids coming through at United in the early nineties laid a foundation down that team after team was built on. Eric the King orchestrator !
Had the mentality that Dennis "The Iceman but can't fly" Bergkamp could only dream of. Also absolutely outrageous technically. I saw him do things in a warm up 1 match I have never seen any other player do, total mastery of the football.
He was so good with the ball, he was like a wizard controling it moving it around for it to come back effortlessly. Never seen anyone have such control on the ball can't believe he started out as a goalkeeper. Typical Cantona.
If We’re Talking about Players From The 1990’s, Cantona was One of The best Back then. His Stats are the Opidemy, of “Stats Aren’t Everything”. Truly A Ledgend of Football.
Oasis (Gallagher brothers, hardcore Man City fans) wanted him in one of their videos, 'Once', long after he retired. Liam tells the story on a youtube clip 'Liam Gallagher talking about Eric Cantona doing the video for Once'. One of my favourite stories ever on Cantona and sums up why he is 'The King'.
Strangely many city fans love Cantona. It's like when Ronaldinho got a standing ovation at the Bernabau playing for Barce (No player before or since, not even Messi - speaks volumes)
Cantona or Keane? Who transformed that team? The determination, the will to train longer and harder than the coaches asked, both those players instilled that through the class of '92, Keane the aggression and rage, Cantona the silky skills and training ground dedication. United would have won nothing without these two men, they were similar and so different, but they forged that dressing room into the weapon that Fergie's tactical and man management skills could aim at glory for decades. He was the King.
Cantona. Keane tried to emulate him only after Cantona retired to fill the void. Maintaining a course is much easier than changing it. Keane really looked up to Cantona. ou can go back and check ;)
The legend who didn't back down in taking someone out.. even in the crowd! Lol! He was incredible and an amazing soccer player to watch! Magic on the field!!⚽
Who ever watched that Cantona speech in the UEFA event way back in 2019 can understand the genius of this footballer as a person... My G was on his own league. The aura he produces all over the pitch with that collar is irreplaceable. One the greatest legends of all time.
i love u king cantona , because of u .. im a man utd fans until now . im 35 this years , and be a man utd since 1997 . love u forever .. hail king eric !
Wonderful summary of The King - yes, he was UNIQUE in so many ways living life on his terms - what a blessing that we were able to see and experience ERIC on a stage where he could get close to expressing his true greatness - his arrogance, well maybe HIS self belief is a lesson for us all - and I don't mean arrogance in a negative sense at all - and it shone brightly for a while illuminating all who came into his presence - thank you for your content - if you yourself write and put together these documentaries you are very talented and able to get the essence of whoever you are covering in a way that brings us to innerstand that person a little bit more and thereby ourselves as well...
When you're so talented... everyone simply look beyond your flaws and shortcomings... history will always remember his greatness and achievements not his moment of madness... Iconic, enigmatic King Cantona ♥️
I saw the name Cantona in the Classic XI of FIFA 09. I never heard of him, being a 14-year old Barcelona fan. He was a magician. No one can say he needed to score more. You would never say this for Ronaldinho or Baggio. Same goes for Cantona
R10 is the true GOAT of football, and Baggio my favourite player growing up. Nice picks. Both of these players played as Forwards, Cantona was a bit deeper in Midfield. Watch the footage.
@@Bugdenl Ronaldinho was not a complete forward either, he often played as a 10. The extraordinary case for example is Messi, who played as a 10, playmaker or winger, and scored as many goals.
@@francescganau7679 I think this video is even better: th-cam.com/video/pynDvIsLoU0/w-d-xo.html Incomprehensible talent. I love Messi and Maradona, but Ronaldinho is even better.
What Eric Cantona possessed is the quintessential manifestation of je ne sais quoi. He had a special golden quality about him that could turn almost anybody into a winner by his mere presence...
@@MrKevin1144 'Je ne sais quoi' is a French phrase transplanted into English to represent a special intangible quality that people know exist but none can actually put a finger to it. It is the equivalent of an aura which is evidently possessed by some people but absent in others. Using Eric Cantona's story as an example, you have heard of his exploits of success in Nimes, Marseille and Montpellier where he took them from backwater, nondescript sides to winning unexpected trophies merely by his sublime talent & presence. In England, you know all about Leeds United that in the 1980s to 2000s was a mid-table, First Division team at best & whose addition of Eric for only half a year transformed them into an all-conquering First Division champion in 1992. The next half year was spent in typical Cantona bedlam before taking his talents to United who coincidentally were in almost similar straits for most of Sir. Alex Ferguson's early doors, sometimes rising to the top five but lacked the genuine spark to fire them into Championship contention. In the first Premier League season on 1992 - 93, United found themselves in the surreal surroundings of Norwich City who were massively imbued with confidence to be still unbeaten by December, at full-throttle & some way at the helm. Aston Villa were equally making their bid at the epoch-defining, inaugural Premier League season. The rest as they say is history after Cantona joined Sir. Alex's side in January 1993 to replace crocked forward Dion Dublin, firing them into the inaugural Premier League title which was a catalyst for improbable success in future for then beleaguered Sir. Alex Ferguson. It speaks volumes that during his abbreviated 4½ season run at United interspersed with contention against personal demons, he still garnered 3 PL titles and 4 FA Cups with that golden quality. Recall the 1 title won at Leeds United. Post-retirement in 1997, he has gone on to be a respected personality as a thespian & movie star/ producer in France even winning accolades at the Cannes Film Festivals. That is 'je ne sais quoi' for you.
@@MrKevin1144 The iconic raised collar emulated by upcoming talent is equally part of Cantona's legacy to the sport. The kung-fu kick on the Crystal Palace fan is still spoken about today not just among the prawn sandwich brigade at Old Trafford but in sporting folklore in general.
Yea I know lots of City fans who say the same - True class transcends tribalism. Ronaldinho at the Bernabau. The only Barce player to get a standing ovation from the Madridstas.
I love players like this, that their simply presence can create such greatness. These days, Andre-Pier Gignac is 38yo, but his presence alone make all the defenders think twice every move.
25th of January 1995 was the date that my fate was sealed. I was a massive Cantona fan and on a trip to Italy in 2005, found a shop that had a shirt with Eric Cantona doing his karate kick on the back and the letters B.F on the front. I thought it was hilarious, so bought it. To this day I have no idea why it had B.F on the front. Fast forward a couple of years and I posted a photo of me in that shirt on a dating website and my future wife liked what she saw, plus felt like it was a sign that it had her initials on the front. We've been married for 16 years and together 18 and it's all thanks to the man, the legend - Eric Cantona!
I remember watching him in the 90s Cantona's presence on the team alone was a problem for other teams to the point it became a part of tactics in bringing up the class of 96 (Beckham, Scholes, Neville etc...) he's one of those players where you and and your team mates had to keep a constant check on him otherwise some flash shit was going to happen and have you in a youtube video comp 20 years later problem is when you're trying to deal with him it freed up everyone else on that damn team remember this is the team who after Cantona lead them to 4 EPLs and retired they went on to do the treble.
Cantona is living proof of why you should never judge a player based on stats alone anyone around in them days knows what this player meant to Manchester United and how he changed the culture of English football.
Unfortunately the content creator has misled everyone. He clearly didn't watch Cantona play for united. Cantona played in midfield. His stats are therefore insane.
his stats was as a playmaker. People praised gerrad as the goalscoring midfielders but they often discredit cantona's goalscoring ability as a midfielder.
People assume Cantona was a number 9 like RVN but he was a playmaker he would go deep to link up play. One season he got 25 goals and 15 assists. Today even our wingers don't give us that many assists.
When I hear Cantona, the first thing I think of is the celebration and the second thing I think of is the kick. I think that defines Cantona pretty well. The celebration shows his aura, the kind of presence he had and the kick shows his personality, the maniac he was. ICON of the game.
I was a french teenager at the time, watching him play on tv when he was at ManU, that was something, too bad that the national french team was not good enough at that time. But, almost 30 years passed now, and I still get goose bumps when I see him play on these old footages. Him, with his collar up in that red shirt, part of my best memories in football, he is on top with that head of Boli in the UCL final ( OM fan here ^^). He is ManU and will be forever.
@saehisaya I think it means the reporters are waiting for Cantona to start talking and spilling beans, so they can have juicy news to write on their newspaper, even if it means twisting Cantona's word to sell.
@saehisaya read what karllim1159 wrote, I agree with him, Eric was actually very polite, usually people refer to journalists as vultures looking for dead meat, he just went the fishing way.
I knew what he meant in a roundabout way,reporters ridiculed the statement as nonsense but obviously not to his face,they just couldn't comprehend philosophy+ the intelligence of Le King
@@Bdoc76 He will always be a legend. The sheer number of Man City fans who cite the King as their favourite player speaks volumes. I accept Attacking midfielder/forward. This is prob the most accurate description.
@@Bdoc76 the elite few... Cantona definitely sits at the table, transcending any given position. Magic players are so rare and beautiful to watch. I agree.
Love your videos man. You should do a video on Ricardo Oliveira. He was a beast of a striker back in the day and he’s still play at 43?! Hope you see this.
My all time favourite player. He wouldn't be considered anywhere near the all time best in his spot. But if you could pick any player for a team that actually would play matches and needed to win them, he should be in that team, because like you said, he just had some weird way of making the team win with his willpower.
@@craigoliver8712 Both are great players. Obviously I rate both players highly. I'm glad you mentioned Captain Marvel - I believe him a more worthy #7 than Cristiano Santos Aveiro. Just because Cristiano targeted statistics (scored goals, penalties etc) doesn't make him as great as he (or others) think. He deserves many accolades for what he has achieved including his own level and ability. But there really is a line. Some players are just better. Messi has always looked better than Cristiano. Cantona/Best has always looked a better united #7 than Cristiano.
I still remember when i was a child I saw one of cantona nike ads i believe with zlatan and ronaldo .. that was the first piece of media about football I've ever seen and I instantly fell in love .. damn football ads back in the day was simply majestic _❤_
When the guy arrived at Man Utd they haven’t won in while, then they won 4 titles in 5 years. He was their star. Even that undermines his impact. You need to have to actually watch and love football to know how great he is
Eric Cantona and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are cut from the same cloth in my opinion. Pretty much everyone agrees that both of them don't need trophies or crazy statistics to prove that they are the best. They simply are the best.
@@gumabilstats or trophies in the sense of Messi Ronaldo level stats or trophies. I'm not saying that they don't have them, I'm saying they don't need them.
@@lucyboy8276 sorry. But i'll don't say they didn't need them, they are still seek for appreciation, that's why they labeled themselves king of man united & God of man united. I'll say El Magico from Cadiz & Matt Le Tissier Southampton who don't need trophy. They just play football because they enjoy the game.
@@fuuf7092 u can hv ur opinion mate. But not for me. I watched Eric's era and i admit he have charisma. But in term of skill & technique maybe i can say i can all of his technique & skill. Even maybe i hv more trick, the difference is that i didn't go pro like him.
He laid the foundations for the success of the PL - i think his success, and the acclaim he got for his football i think led to players like Gullit, Zola, Bergkamp & Vialli moving to the PL in the mid 90's
Great vid, thanks. Perhaps my fave player of all-time.. You've got the 95/96 league table instead of the first win in 92/93 though. And 96/97 instead of 95/96 :)
from november 1992 to january 95, eric cantona was simply the best player in the world. i believe he still was after his nine months ban, but for two years before that, it was simply *undeniable* i mean, he won, single-handedly, having flat-out said he would to the face of the entire locker room, in a season where they were so bad they got bounced off the uefa cup by torpedo moscow in what was probably the worst european games i had seen at the time, the title after an historic 26 years drought. we have a habit of saying fergie lifted united back up, but he could *never* have done it without canto. i've seen countless lists of united "best players in history", and i know the importance of george best, bobby charlton and bryan robson, but to have made such an impact, on such a club, in such a short time, litteraly being *the* catalyst for what would a few years later turn out to be united's downright best era *ever* , and still being talked about with such reverence today after guys like beckham, rooney or ronaldo have passed by, any of those lists without canto at the top just feels so wrong to me. and i'll even go further, because it's not just united ! i think he put *english football* back on the map, in general, just by being there, in and off the pitch. he did for the premier league what michael jordan did for the nba. in an era where english football had austracised itself after the heysel drama and its best elements like waddle, platt and gascoigne decided to try their luck abroad, i genuinely believe *he* made the premier league into what it is today. he was the first foreign superstar in a league that would soon feel the full swing of the bosman ruling and big money owners. without cantona, the premier league never gets guys like bergkamp, wenger, ginola, zola, henry, abramovitch, ronaldo, drogba, hazard, guardiola or haaland...
"Cantona never needed silverwares to be great, he simply was"...There will not be a player again with such aura, what an icon!
Zlatan disagrees
@@ronin4518Zlatan doesn't have presence.... presence has Zlatan.
@@garrettskelton4385 th-cam.com/video/N9BvU-eFka4/w-d-xo.html
@@garrettskelton4385Zlatan is a joker
@@lucyboy8276No he's ghetto kid loudmouth with ego problems.
"Cantona never needed a silverware to be great, he simply was". One of a kind. Well put brother.
Oo-Ah-Cantona, OoAhCantona!
His karate kick is more iconic than some player's career
This comment reminds me of Materazzi being headbutted by Zidane being the only highlight of his career
His karate kick led me to discover football when I was a kid.
I'm 45, guess who I'm still rooting for? United.
All hail the King.
@@smk.mk01 Serie A defender of the year 2007, 5 time Serie a winner, And a treble winner under Mourinho in his last season at Inter...
Fr
@@smk.mk01this comment is gold
He won the league with Leeds, moved to United and won the league with them too. Without Cantona, United dont dominate the early 90s
They don’t win their first league title which means it’s doubtful whether they’d win any of the other 4 he won with them. History would have been very different. Howard Wilkinson was an idiot for selling him, typical Yorkshire stubbornness.
I remember the day he signed for Leeds as it was a big deal them getting him ahead of Wednesday, he pretty much guaranteed them the title. I'm an Ipswich fan but still loved watching this guy play
@@glencurtis6052but he came very late and very early upon the day he arrived
@@StoutProperAs long as Ferguson was in Man Utd, they would win everything they won anyway. Cantona was just another cog in the machine, easily replaceable. As a matter of fact, later Man Utd was way better then Cantona's Man Utd.
@@adnan4688 what you talking about? cantona and rooney (talismans)...when these players left did united win anything?
To this day, in old trafford, they still sing the anthem of this dude. That’s how a legend he is.
IM ARSENAL 4 LIFE BUT WE RESPECT ONLY 3 GOAT PLAYERS : (BESIDE OUR HENRY) GERRARD, SHEARER AND CANTONA. 3 BEST PLAYERS IN PREMIERE LEAGUE IN HISTORY EVER !!
@@PIP...33 I agree mate those 4 players are indeed respect on GOAT level. I am Leeds fan. I love Cantona forever, but Bergkamp Henry Shearer and Gerrard are simply best ever to step a foot on England pitch. We also respect Maldini tho never played here , he is GOAT best ever !!
@@perditadurango9699 NO DOUBT. MALDINI IS NUMBER 1. U START TEAM FRANCHISE WITH HIM! I ALSO RESPECT THURAM TO ME HE IS 2ND BEST IN HISTORY. AND OVERALL MOST COMPLETE PLAYERS ARE GULLIT AND BEST PLAYER EVER JOHAN.
@@perditadurango9699 MY GOAT PLAYERS : NKONO THURAM MALDINI MATTHAUS GULLIT STOJKOVIC CRUYFF HENRY BATISTUTA CANTONA ROMARIO.
@@PIP...33Steven Gerrard for me is something special, no player comes next to him. Eric was the best of the naughty boys we've seen in the PL & world football. I love that age of football.
Cantona was the Michael Jordan of the EPL in the 90s. 4 titles in 5 years. He would have won 5 in 5 if not for the kung fu kick. His game was never about goals. He has almost as many assists as goals. When he played, he made his teammates better. Whenever he played, he was the best player on the pitch and he knew it. Thats why he was so confident. He retired in 1997 yet fans still chant his name till today.
He could have been a top level for 4 years
Happy you noticed the assists, He was an advanced midfielder contrary to the title and content of this video.
@@BugdenlHe was a number ten playing behind the striker but sometimes also playing as the striker, holding up the ball and getting runners of him.
@@davidc5170 striker's don't hold up the ball... They strike it... But I agree he did a lot of holding up of the ball and played it through. Forward is the furthest positional term he should be afforded. Playmaker, guru, god, but not the man who was furthest forward looking for the goals...
@@Bugdenl "Strikers don't hold up the ball" I take it with a statement like that you've only just start watching football recently. Strikers are the furthest forward so of course they hold up the ball and bring others in to play. Mark Hughes was brilliant at it, Andy Cole learned how to do it when he came to us. Alan Shearer did it at times, cos strikers are the focal and there is no one ahead of them they need to be able to play with their backs to goal and hold up the ball.
This is the exact reason why I love Ibrahimovic so much, he is just like Cantona back then, you rarely see these types of players anymore that make it that far in their career.
Cantona was more influential than Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic is great against mid table and lower league teams making a master to win leagues.
But when it came to crunch time against big teams in big matches in particular the champions league, he doesn't seem to cash in.
Cantona on the other hand is a big game player with the midas touch when required to deliver at the apex of football
Zlatan was unique but he was nothing like Cantona, hadn't the range of skill Cantona had and to be entirely honest although I love and respect Zlatan Cantona was by some considerable distance a better player in almost all regards. Zlatan was a better goal scorer and scored more in one season than Cantona ever did. He is similar in attitude.
I understand what you mean BUT Ibrahimovic plays the role of Zlatan. Cantona is Cantona.
Ibrahimovic has true skill and he has a backbone
Sorry I never heard of Ibrahimović before.
Even with his shortcomings (arrogance, ego, and violence), what comes first is his passion, enthusiasm, and love for the game...he is the mindset that United needed, and that is the foundation on which United's winner mentality was put together...
As Jose puts it "Nice boys only win the fair play cup"😅
arrogance and ego worked in his favour.
@@tris421the best athletes have those, Ronaldo, Jordan, Kobe, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Hussein Bolt, Michael Phlephs. All the goats have those traits
I think it's Usain bolt 😅,but well said
@@alaromukhtar2127forgot the best one there, pal: Messi. No ego, just talent and passion😁
@@nikolaitregouet Hate to tell you but Messi has mad ego son.
I cried when he quit. It coincided with one of the worst years of my life. Eric was ...... just the best player, not just for his goals,but the assists and his influence on the team. He is and always will be the King. Eric is still humble as a man. Not many ex players can match his humanity. They're all about image. Eric is a one off, there will never be another football player like him.
I think what makes Cantona special is that he had the full package of being a legend skills and character but it had to take 1 man to make him right who was SAF, and they both benefited each other with their greatness. And the fact that he wanted to retire early because he wanted to enjoy life still young tells you he’s a sentimental man. We’ll never ever have a player and a character like him anymore in football ever.
Amazing video as always, loves the ending. It was beautiful
Obviously spoiled and filled with psychological problems 😊
That was the match we will not see for another hundred years.
Solskjaer, Neville, Beckham, Giggs, Schmeichel, Irwin, Keane.. Cantona was the 'Mourinho' of footballers, and soaked pressure like a black hole. His team performed admirably as he absorbed everything that was thrown at his 'team' and let his feet do the talking, no pun intended. What a man manger Alex Ferguson was. Also, who still remembers his iconic advertisement "Au Revoir" then flipping up the collars.
I remember a huge poster in my local sports shop(for Nike maybe) it showed Cantona (from the back) by himself,kit on in the United tunnel,the slogan said "He's done his time,now it is everyone else's time to pay" advertising his return from 9 month suspension, gave me goosebumps anticipating his return- Iconic poster,Iconic time,Iconic player
He scored so many winners in difficult games where no one else could.
I was lucky enough to see Cantona twice (home debut v Man City and at White Hart Lane) and he was astoinishing to watch, a colossus on the pitch. It was impossible to take your eyes off him, he dominated the games. His presence was vast, his influence was everywhere. You can keep your Ronaldo and your Messi, neither of them has ever been called King. GOAT means nothing. King is special, unique, indomitable. Cest maginifique.
amazing video - my fav player of all time. An absolute winner. Kids today don't understand. Won the title in every full season he played in England - No one comes close.
Ibrahimovic comes to mind as well when thinking of these ‘aura’ type players. Cantona perhaps had a little more of it
much more the guy never act he was genually like that
EGO
Ibra is the little better player
Even their position and playing style is similar
@@VivekSharma-sn7hl how old are you to say that you see him playing
What a man. Never letting anyone bully him or talk bad against him
The man, the myth, the legend.
KING Eric Cantona 👑
One of the best entertainers who has graced the game with his presence and elegance
Cantona embodied everything that made football the greatest thing when I was growing up
-The screamers
- The flicks
- The aggression
-The arrogance
-The madness
Limbs everywhere we went watching United. Grown men hugging strangers singing his songs. Everyone in the playground wearing their collars up. Being a local kid you couldn't do anything else but fall in love with it all. I'm so glad I had that as part of my childhood. The 90's were great, and The king was the superstar of them. Some players are just fantastically skilled individuals and athletes, others like Eric are talismans for something bigger. Hero
Great comment
On behalf of my fellow Manchester United supporters, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Leeds United for signing Eric Cantona. Imagine if they hadn’t, he’d have left England and we may never had signed him and the success United & SAF enjoyed might never had happened either. For that, Thank You Leeds, y’all made it possible and y’all are part of our history forever and ever. Long Live The King! 🙏😂
Being a young kid in England during the mid 90's nobody took your attention like Cantona. Back then unless you had money, you would only get FA Cup games to watch. He was a star in Cup Finals
My favourite United player growing up, still to this day he is my all time greatest United player, He was the reason I fell in love with football
i can't even begin to express how much i'm still on cantona's side over the kick. he's a man who needs faith and respect to thrive. they're tantamount to love, in his mind, and when they are withdrawn, he ceases to owe you anything except contempt. which is as much as you deserve.
His sheer influence on the kids coming through at United in the early nineties laid a foundation down that team after team was built on. Eric the King orchestrator !
United have had some incredible players over the years but Cantona has to be one of the best👊👑 Let's see if Mount can live up to his No. 7 legacy 👀
😂
Mount is no where near Cantonas lvl..
Ahah nice ending joke 😂
going from Cantona to Mount is like going from James Bond to Mr Bean.
@@tris421 Hahah best reply
Had the mentality that Dennis "The Iceman but can't fly" Bergkamp could only dream of. Also absolutely outrageous technically. I saw him do things in a warm up 1 match I have never seen any other player do, total mastery of the football.
He was so good with the ball, he was like a wizard controling it moving it around for it to come back effortlessly. Never seen anyone have such control on the ball can't believe he started out as a goalkeeper. Typical Cantona.
Lots of clips I’ve never seen of my childhood hero. Very good video. Thank you 🙏
My hero on the pitch it is why I loved football and Man United back then and still do. That volley against Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley
If We’re Talking about Players From The 1990’s, Cantona was One of The best Back then. His Stats are the Opidemy, of “Stats Aren’t Everything”. Truly A Ledgend of Football.
But when you consider he played in midfield, you'd be screaming about his stats.
epitome ????
Opidemy 😭😭
Oasis (Gallagher brothers, hardcore Man City fans) wanted him in one of their videos, 'Once', long after he retired. Liam tells the story on a youtube clip 'Liam Gallagher talking about Eric Cantona doing the video for Once'. One of my favourite stories ever on Cantona and sums up why he is 'The King'.
Oasis split up for a long time now. It's Liam Gallagher's original song, and yes, it's great and so is the video clip featuring Eric Cantona.
Strangely many city fans love Cantona. It's like when Ronaldinho got a standing ovation at the Bernabau playing for Barce (No player before or since, not even Messi - speaks volumes)
Cantona or Keane? Who transformed that team? The determination, the will to train longer and harder than the coaches asked, both those players instilled that through the class of '92, Keane the aggression and rage, Cantona the silky skills and training ground dedication. United would have won nothing without these two men, they were similar and so different, but they forged that dressing room into the weapon that Fergie's tactical and man management skills could aim at glory for decades. He was the King.
Cantona was top dog! Keane as great as he was simply annoyed his team mates with his boorish behaviour.
Cantona got the ball rolling. Keane kept things running.
What about Schmeichel ?
Cantona. Keane tried to emulate him only after Cantona retired to fill the void. Maintaining a course is much easier than changing it. Keane really looked up to Cantona. ou can go back and check ;)
@@maratonlegendelenemirei3352you don’t know what you’re talking about
The legend who didn't back down in taking someone out.. even in the crowd! Lol! He was incredible and an amazing soccer player to watch! Magic on the field!!⚽
he truly had that aura of a leader... his presence alone was enough!
Who ever watched that Cantona speech in the UEFA event way back in 2019 can understand the genius of this footballer as a person...
My G was on his own league. The aura he produces all over the pitch with that collar is irreplaceable. One the greatest legends of all time.
Thank you for much for this video. Cantona is my GOAT!
King Eric is and will always be my favourite player of all times. Ooh Aah Cantona!
i love u king cantona , because of u .. im a man utd fans until now . im 35 this years , and be a man utd since 1997 . love u forever .. hail king eric !
I put him and stoitchkov in same category. The ego and the competitive zeal is what makes them so great
Wonderful summary of The King - yes, he was UNIQUE in so many ways living life on his terms - what a blessing that we were able to see and experience ERIC on a stage where he could get close to expressing his true greatness - his arrogance, well maybe HIS self belief is a lesson for us all - and I don't mean arrogance in a negative sense at all - and it shone brightly for a while illuminating all who came into his presence - thank you for your content - if you yourself write and put together these documentaries you are very talented and able to get the essence of whoever you are covering in a way that brings us to innerstand that person a little bit more and thereby ourselves as well...
Amazing video mate... Gave me goosebumps ❤❤
When you're so talented... everyone simply look beyond your flaws and shortcomings... history will always remember his greatness and achievements not his moment of madness... Iconic, enigmatic King Cantona ♥️
I saw the name Cantona in the Classic XI of FIFA 09. I never heard of him, being a 14-year old Barcelona fan. He was a magician. No one can say he needed to score more. You would never say this for Ronaldinho or Baggio. Same goes for Cantona
R10 is the true GOAT of football, and Baggio my favourite player growing up. Nice picks. Both of these players played as Forwards, Cantona was a bit deeper in Midfield. Watch the footage.
@@Bugdenl Ronaldinho was not a complete forward either, he often played as a 10. The extraordinary case for example is Messi, who played as a 10, playmaker or winger, and scored as many goals.
@@francescganau7679 I think this video is even better:
th-cam.com/video/pynDvIsLoU0/w-d-xo.html
Incomprehensible talent.
I love Messi and Maradona, but Ronaldinho is even better.
What Eric Cantona possessed is the quintessential manifestation of je ne sais quoi.
He had a special golden quality about him that could turn almost anybody into a winner by his mere presence...
Can you elaborate more of this quality? Does it translate into everyday life?
@@MrKevin1144 'Je ne sais quoi' is a French phrase transplanted into English to represent a special intangible quality that people know exist but none can actually put a finger to it. It is the equivalent of an aura which is evidently possessed by some people but absent in others.
Using Eric Cantona's story as an example, you have heard of his exploits of success in Nimes, Marseille and Montpellier where he took them from backwater, nondescript sides to winning unexpected trophies merely by his sublime talent & presence.
In England, you know all about Leeds United that in the 1980s to 2000s was a mid-table, First Division team at best & whose addition of Eric for only half a year transformed them into an all-conquering First Division champion in 1992.
The next half year was spent in typical Cantona bedlam before taking his talents to United who coincidentally were in almost similar straits for most of Sir. Alex Ferguson's early doors, sometimes rising to the top five but lacked the genuine spark to fire them into Championship contention. In the first Premier League season on 1992 - 93, United found themselves in the surreal surroundings of Norwich City who were massively imbued with confidence to be still unbeaten by December, at full-throttle & some way at the helm. Aston Villa were equally making their bid at the epoch-defining, inaugural Premier League season. The rest as they say is history after Cantona joined Sir. Alex's side in January 1993 to replace crocked forward Dion Dublin, firing them into the inaugural Premier League title which was a catalyst for improbable success in future for then beleaguered Sir. Alex Ferguson.
It speaks volumes that during his abbreviated 4½ season run at United interspersed with contention against personal demons, he still garnered 3 PL titles and 4 FA Cups with that golden quality. Recall the 1 title won at Leeds United.
Post-retirement in 1997, he has gone on to be a respected personality as a thespian & movie star/ producer in France even winning accolades at the Cannes Film Festivals.
That is 'je ne sais quoi' for you.
@@MrKevin1144 The iconic raised collar emulated by upcoming talent is equally part of Cantona's legacy to the sport.
The kung-fu kick on the Crystal Palace fan is still spoken about today not just among the prawn sandwich brigade at Old Trafford but in sporting folklore in general.
I’m a lifelong Liverpool supporter, but goddamn, was Cantona fun to watch. A true artist.
This made me tear up ffs. King of Kings
I'm a CIty fan and Cantona is probably my favorite player of all time just because of how awesome and iconic he was
Yea I know lots of City fans who say the same - True class transcends tribalism. Ronaldinho at the Bernabau. The only Barce player to get a standing ovation from the Madridstas.
I enjoyed watching this, the commentary/narration on point to 👌🏾
Such a genius. I was a teenager when he played for Marseille and throug his stint with Man U. What a player.
I love players like this, that their simply presence can create such greatness. These days, Andre-Pier Gignac is 38yo, but his presence alone make all the defenders think twice every move.
25th of January 1995 was the date that my fate was sealed. I was a massive Cantona fan and on a trip to Italy in 2005, found a shop that had a shirt with Eric Cantona doing his karate kick on the back and the letters B.F on the front. I thought it was hilarious, so bought it. To this day I have no idea why it had B.F on the front. Fast forward a couple of years and I posted a photo of me in that shirt on a dating website and my future wife liked what she saw, plus felt like it was a sign that it had her initials on the front. We've been married for 16 years and together 18 and it's all thanks to the man, the legend - Eric Cantona!
damn if this is real ! just wow happy for you man may you live happy forever The King impact is real
@@arkenechouchene2829 It's real alright :) I should have named my son Eric!
Thank you for this video...I loved King Eric..
I just love your videos, man. PS: All hail to the king and GGMU!
Being able to witness greatness itself unfolds.
You make no sense and your not Cantona
I remember watching him in the 90s Cantona's presence on the team alone was a problem for other teams to the point it became a part of tactics in bringing up the class of 96 (Beckham, Scholes, Neville etc...) he's one of those players where you and and your team mates had to keep a constant check on him otherwise some flash shit was going to happen and have you in a youtube video comp 20 years later problem is when you're trying to deal with him it freed up everyone else on that damn team remember this is the team who after Cantona lead them to 4 EPLs and retired they went on to do the treble.
He is Great. I learnt this from him; In football you don't have to be intelligent, you just have to anticipate ❤. He said this!!!
Cantona is living proof of why you should never judge a player based on stats alone anyone around in them days knows what this player meant to Manchester United and how he changed the culture of English football.
Unfortunately the content creator has misled everyone. He clearly didn't watch Cantona play for united. Cantona played in midfield. His stats are therefore insane.
his stats was as a playmaker. People praised gerrad as the goalscoring midfielders but they often discredit cantona's goalscoring ability as a midfielder.
@@AMIRULASYRAF-gm4vo AMEN. Praise unto thee. Correct.
People assume Cantona was a number 9 like RVN but he was a playmaker he would go deep to link up play. One season he got 25 goals and 15 assists. Today even our wingers don't give us that many assists.
His stats are great, he wasn't a striker, he played in midfield
When I hear Cantona, the first thing I think of is the celebration and the second thing I think of is the kick. I think that defines Cantona pretty well. The celebration shows his aura, the kind of presence he had and the kick shows his personality, the maniac he was. ICON of the game.
I was a french teenager at the time, watching him play on tv when he was at ManU, that was something, too bad that the national french team was not good enough at that time. But, almost 30 years passed now, and I still get goose bumps when I see him play on these old footages. Him, with his collar up in that red shirt, part of my best memories in football, he is on top with that head of Boli in the UCL final ( OM fan here ^^).
He is ManU and will be forever.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea" - by Eric "The King" Cantona.
@saehisaya I think it means the reporters are waiting for Cantona to start talking and spilling beans, so they can have juicy news to write on their newspaper, even if it means twisting Cantona's word to sell.
@saehisaya read what karllim1159 wrote, I agree with him, Eric was actually very polite, usually people refer to journalists as vultures looking for dead meat, he just went the fishing way.
I knew what he meant in a roundabout way,reporters ridiculed the statement as nonsense but obviously not to his face,they just couldn't comprehend philosophy+ the intelligence of Le King
He may not have the stats but this guy struck so much fear in opposing teamseven when he didn't have the ball.
He was the King. He scored so many match winners in tight games.
after hearing this story my only regret is that I wasn't born to witness this legend
trust me bro, we had our collars up in school wanting to be Cantona
@@fuuf7092Oh yes!😂
And now into a very successful career as an actor, playing character roles in very interesting films. Legend.
Great video, you did the Legend justice.
Except the injustice of calling him a striker, thereby diminishing his brilliance in the eyes of statisticians.
Lovely final quote mate
An excellent, fair and accurate profile of one of the all time greats. Well done, excellent stuff.
Except the most important thing - his position.... He was a midfielder not a striker. Suddenly perception shifts MASSIVELY
@@Bugdenl He was an attacking midfielder/forward sort of, mostly, he was Cantona. That was enough. 🤣💪
@@Bdoc76 He will always be a legend. The sheer number of Man City fans who cite the King as their favourite player speaks volumes. I accept Attacking midfielder/forward. This is prob the most accurate description.
@@Bugdenl Whatever he was I've never enjoyed more watching someone play. He was an artist.
@@Bdoc76 the elite few... Cantona definitely sits at the table, transcending any given position. Magic players are so rare and beautiful to watch. I agree.
He never needed silverware to be great, he simply was
Yes !! My king of all time !! 💪💪 Thanks for the upload...
amazing vid, brought back memories
Love your videos man. You should do a video on Ricardo Oliveira. He was a beast of a striker back in the day and he’s still play at 43?! Hope you see this.
much more than a player, he was an Icon with a huge aura
"I'll do whatever you say, as long as you get me out of France"
Respect❤🔥
Once again, a great video. Appreciated.
The King ...thanks for making this vid. Commenting to give you engagement :)
My all time favourite player. He wouldn't be considered anywhere near the all time best in his spot. But if you could pick any player for a team that actually would play matches and needed to win them, he should be in that team, because like you said, he just had some weird way of making the team win with his willpower.
Cantona Karate kick, Zidane Headbutt, as french i'm proud of this tradition and i hope Mbappé do the same at the end of his career 🤫
What a great narration, bravo👏🏻
he was a complete forward. not only striker, but also very good team player with amazing passing abilities
A worthy number 7. He carried the class of 92
Only 2 players wore #7 at United who were truly great. George best and Cantona. The rest are pretenders and fakes. No where near.
@@BugdenlYou don't rate Robson or Ronaldo?
@@craigoliver8712 Both are great players.
Obviously I rate both players highly. I'm glad you mentioned Captain Marvel - I believe him a more worthy #7 than Cristiano Santos Aveiro. Just because Cristiano targeted statistics (scored goals, penalties etc) doesn't make him as great as he (or others) think. He deserves many accolades for what he has achieved including his own level and ability. But there really is a line. Some players are just better. Messi has always looked better than Cristiano. Cantona/Best has always looked a better united #7 than Cristiano.
I still remember when i was a child I saw one of cantona nike ads i believe with zlatan and ronaldo .. that was the first piece of media about football I've ever seen and I instantly fell in love .. damn football ads back in the day was simply majestic _❤_
When the guy arrived at Man Utd they haven’t won in while, then they won 4 titles in 5 years. He was their star. Even that undermines his impact. You need to have to actually watch and love football to know how great he is
And from midfield. Mark Hughes, Brian McClair were their strikers - then they broke their transfer record to sign Andrew (Andy) Cole
This guys would’ve been a great mobster, great player he was a legend I used to hear stories of him when I was young kid playing soccer
The video gave me chills especially what u said at the end
Eric Cantona and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are cut from the same cloth in my opinion.
Pretty much everyone agrees that both of them don't need trophies or crazy statistics to prove that they are the best.
They simply are the best.
But Zlatan have statistics mate. Eric win the tittle too.
but Zlatan also bring fear to anyone. Eric is more charismatic player.
Love them both.
@@gumabilstats or trophies in the sense of Messi Ronaldo level stats or trophies. I'm not saying that they don't have them, I'm saying they don't need them.
@@lucyboy8276 sorry. But i'll don't say they didn't need them, they are still seek for appreciation, that's why they labeled themselves king of man united & God of man united.
I'll say El Magico from Cadiz & Matt Le Tissier Southampton who don't need trophy. They just play football because they enjoy the game.
Only those who witnessed Erics era know Zlatan would polish his boots for him
@@fuuf7092 u can hv ur opinion mate. But not for me. I watched Eric's era and i admit he have charisma. But in term of skill & technique maybe i can say i can all of his technique & skill. Even maybe i hv more trick, the difference is that i didn't go pro like him.
1:16 bars 🔥🔥🔥
You should do one on Clint Dempsey I think it would be really interesting.
“You don’t know where I’m from dawg!”😂
@@thrillmourEveryone knows where an American is from
If he born in today football era..his carrer already finished..but on that time..we dont have social media..
but still he is a legend for MAN UTD..
"Terrible child"at the end is a translation of "enfant terrible", which acutally translates to maverick or troublemacker. Great video, btw.
"Cantona never needed silverwares to be great, he simply was" brilhante esse encerramento, otimo vídeo parabéns!
Great production🎉
Love your channel dude! Keep the amazing work! ❤
The charisma of Eric Cantona was much much bigger than any silverware that were available to be lifted.
I know him from the I love football speech. Heard he was an angry player kicked some fans too. Looking forward to this very much.
That was a great video
He laid the foundations for the success of the PL - i think his success, and the acclaim he got for his football i think led to players like Gullit, Zola, Bergkamp & Vialli moving to the PL in the mid 90's
Great vid, thanks. Perhaps my fave player of all-time.. You've got the 95/96 league table instead of the first win in 92/93 though. And 96/97 instead of 95/96 :)
Wonderful video. Thank you.
cantona at united in 1998....the i was,,,really is a great year...the king was at united ❤
from november 1992 to january 95, eric cantona was simply the best player in the world. i believe he still was after his nine months ban, but for two years before that, it was simply *undeniable*
i mean, he won, single-handedly, having flat-out said he would to the face of the entire locker room, in a season where they were so bad they got bounced off the uefa cup by torpedo moscow in what was probably the worst european games i had seen at the time, the title after an historic 26 years drought. we have a habit of saying fergie lifted united back up, but he could *never* have done it without canto. i've seen countless lists of united "best players in history", and i know the importance of george best, bobby charlton and bryan robson, but to have made such an impact, on such a club, in such a short time, litteraly being *the* catalyst for what would a few years later turn out to be united's downright best era *ever* , and still being talked about with such reverence today after guys like beckham, rooney or ronaldo have passed by, any of those lists without canto at the top just feels so wrong to me.
and i'll even go further, because it's not just united ! i think he put *english football* back on the map, in general, just by being there, in and off the pitch. he did for the premier league what michael jordan did for the nba. in an era where english football had austracised itself after the heysel drama and its best elements like waddle, platt and gascoigne decided to try their luck abroad, i genuinely believe *he* made the premier league into what it is today. he was the first foreign superstar in a league that would soon feel the full swing of the bosman ruling and big money owners. without cantona, the premier league never gets guys like bergkamp, wenger, ginola, zola, henry, abramovitch, ronaldo, drogba, hazard, guardiola or haaland...
That was brilliant, a fantastic homage to fantastic player.
THE KING!!