267: Eric Cantona, Manchester United, Merlin’s Premier League 97 Official Sticker Collection

Today Mat Jolin-Beech brings us a couple of stories about a genuinely brilliant footballer and all round entertainer. In our blog’s WhatsApp group Rich shared an extract from a Daily Mirror column where Emlyn Hughes suggested that United had made a mistake in signing today’s subject as he wouldn’t “get in there when it hurts, or decide a game and be a matchwinner.” Then again this was the same Emlyn Hughes who thought that Princess Anne was Northern Irish jockey John Reid. Over to Mat.

Le God. King Eric. Cantona. The legend that is. Much could be said – and has – but 500 words is not enough. The only player to win three consecutive top flight league titles with different clubs: Marseille, Leeds United and Manchester United in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively.

The move from Leeds to Man U itself is a wonderful story. A steal at £1.2m and a deal that only came about when Leeds asked whether United’s Denis Irwin was for sale. A few days later and Cantona had moved across the Pennines. Just to think, United could have ended up with David Hirst, Matt Le Tissier or Brian Deane instead.

Then there is the infamous kung fu kick incident. Away to Crystal Palace in 1995, after being sent off, he leapt into the crowd and smashed his boot into a fan who yelled: "F*** off back to France, you French bastard". He was probably thinking bloody foreigner coming over here and stealing our jobs. And our league titles. I’m not even going to go into detail about that goal against Sunderland in his final season. The majestic lob over Lionel Perez. That celebration.

What stands out is a clash with one Neil ‘you can’t not put Razor here’ Ruddock. In a fiery rivalry in Cantona’s first game back after that ban. Ruddock was having a giggle. On the way to the game, Razor’s friend phoned him to tell him to turn King Eric’s famous upward collar down. So he did. Many times. The first time annoyed Cantona. The second saw the Frenchman angry.  Ruddock reminisced with Talk Sport: “He just wanted to fight me then, he didn’t want to play football, he called me a fat bastard and said I’ll fight you in ‘le tunnel’. To be fair, he was bigger than me, and I was a bit panicky.” Eric also gestured a beer belly and a double chin to Razor who was carrying a bit of timber. The third time saw Le God lash out and kick big Neil somewhere that would hurt. The ref dished out a yellow card.

This repeated itself at least once more, before it rolled over into the Old Trafford tunnel. After the final whistle, a riled up Cantona steamed towards the dressing rooms, followed by Razor. In his own words, Ruddock said: “I’m thinking f**k me, he’s quite big” and started doubting himself. Then stepped in one of the original Spice Boys David James. All 9’ 10” of him.  King Eric, the man just back from a ban for big booting a man in the chest way before Nigel De Jong decided to repeat the feat in the 2010 World Cup final, was turning the air bleu with language not befitting a gentle kickabout. Ruddock was too slow to the party and Cantona retired to the United dressing room. However, a true mark of the class of Cantona was when he came up behind Ruddock in his natural habitat, the bar, with a pint for his on-pitch adversary.

No-one has worn the Number 7 shirt at Old Trafford with as much class and quality since. Except maybe David Beckham. And Ronaldo. But not Alexis Sanchez.

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