Vocalizing Sport

Cantona had originally gone on trial at Sheffield Wednesday whilst at his last French club Nimes Olympique, however he opted to join Leeds United after being offered an extension at the Owls. Having helped Leeds win the 1991-92 First Division, albeit with only 3 goals, he managed to secure a move to North-West rivals Manchester United in November of the 1992-93 season where he failed to make a immediate impact in his first competitive match in a Red Devils shirt.

Although unable to make an immediate impact at United in his competitive debut he did have a large impact in United’s season in the 1992-93 season and managed to settle into the team fairly quickly. The Red Devils had a fairly poor start to the season, with Dion Dublin out for around 6 months after suffering a broken leg and with Brian McClair and Mark Hughes struggling to hit top form it meant Six Alex Ferguson would have to dip into the transfer budget in order to secure silverware that season. Ferguson’s buy paid off, with United lifting the Premier League that season, the first team to ever win the Barclays Premier League, with Cantona being the first and only player to have won back to back league titles at two different clubs.

Eric has had a fair amount of controversy surrounding his football profile, with an incident against a Leeds fan, whereby on his return to Elland Road, home of Leeds United with his new team Manchester United, Cantona spat at a Leeds fan. Perhaps his most controversial incident occurred in the match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, where Cantona had been sent off after kicking out at Palace defender Richard Shaw who had been pulling on Cantona’s shirt, however the most controversial incident came moments later, where Cantona broke away from United kit man Norman Davies who was leading him off of the pitch and unleashed a kung-fu-esque kick on Palace fan Matthew Simmons, who was reportedly shouting threatening and abusive language to the French forward.

It’s fair to say that although perhaps a dirty player with plenty of controversy in his record book he was loved simply for being his arrogant, controversial self. Although perhaps slightly mean surely all United fans laugh at his kung-fu kick on the Palace fan, simply because there are very few players who would even consider doing what he did, and this is what makes him “the King”.