Looks like he’s been a naughty boy

Always liked a scrap…

Just because someone comes worst off in an exchange of fisticuffs, doesn’t make them a victim.

A passionate character. I can only imagine he was victim of a barrage of appauling insults from a drunken yob or two.

Personally, I prefer the good ol’ days of sorting out nobbers with a good right hander to the teef.

I’m sure he was heckled and gave his heckler all he deserved, after all these days he grows hops in Alsace…

He’s a bloody legend!

He always refused to apologise for his Kung fu kick on the gobby nobhead, on the basis that he deserved it, so why should he. He also maintained he’d do exactly the same thing again, in the same situation, too. Looks like he was true to his word then 😀

As has been said, a legend. A man’s man who isn’t like the modern day hand wringing streaks of piss in the media that pass as men these days.

If someone got in a scrap with him and got pasted, that’s not being a ‘victim’ – they just lost a fight.

One of the best players I have ever seen in a Manchester United shirt – a true legend – and I’ll forgive anything he has done or may ever do on or off a football pitch.

I’m not even a football fan or follower, but having seen clips of him at his imperious best I thought “now there is a reason to follow football”

My wife met him at an art gallery in Lyon while she was visiting a friend who worked there & said he had that aura of a talented man but was utterly charming with it.
I think she was quite smitten 😮

He scored the above goal against Liverpool and after that he’d have to be a prime suspect in Operation Yewtree before I’d struggle to forgive him any misdemeanour.

I hate Man Utd.

However, I do admire him. The bloke he kung fu kicked deserved it IMO.

Sounds like some gobshite got a slap for being rude. Fair enough.

Come on, apparently all the guy at Palace said was ‘Off you go Mr Cantona it’s an early bath for you.”
Totally plausible.

Let’s have some more of King Eric
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vAOUgmRXsc[/video]

Just can’t be bothered with today’s spoilt overpaid footballers.
Never been a fan of Man Utd but as has been said, he was a true legend.
If only there was as much passion in the game these days.

Still think this was his best goal (third goal in the piece)

[video]http://youtu.be/dwkNORxjok4[/video]

No doubt the bloke (victim) asked for it so King Eric duly obliged. Good on him.

A real character and a very special footballer. Probably Fergies best ever buy, £2m was it ?

Ronaldo was his best?

same with me, avid utd hater, in fact hate them more than i actually like a team, which cant be healthy 🙂

but got a lot of time and respect for cantona. great player and character and you just couldnt see him rolling about on the floor trying to get a penalty like they do these days. hed just give someone ‘the stare’ if they did it to him, or worse. top bloke.

The antidote to todays douchebag
http://m.vice.com/en_uk/read/anatomy-of-a-new-modern-douchebag

I’m feeling heartily warmed by the outpouring of respect for Cantona this morning, even from the Utd hayters.

Bravo STW.

My best Cantona experience, walking up the steps from the Barcelona underground into the main square – May 1999 – A chorus of ‘ooh aah Cantona’ starts behind me deep underground and the chant spreads ahead of me as I make my ascent, right out into the square where thousands of reds are literally partying in the street, swinging off lamposts – continuing the chorus. Makes the hairs on my neck stand up thinking about it.

The fact the Utd fans still sing Cantona chants with such gusto, so many years after he retired goes to show how much he is idolised up there.

The modern footballer is not fit to tie his laces. Vive le God!

And he had dibs with Lesley Ash.

(Allegedly).

8)

Ummmm…. where in the story does it mention anything about him being provoked etc?

This is the same kind of myopia that Liverpool fans get accused of having over Suarez. 😉

He was a great footballer but also comes across a bit of a pretentious tit (with a history of violence).

(with a history of violence).

[quote]

Booting that piece of white trash in the chest was violent yes. However, I think he got what was coming. Besides as it turned out the “fan” had convictions for football violence.

No mention of provocation but I would guess it’s very likely.

Indeed. It was probably a Liverpool fan he chinned.

Or even better, Suarez.

cannot stand football,but he does come across as a decent guy.

^^^ yup

Smart guy too.

I think when you can’t even discuss Cantona chinning a photographer without getting yourself into a froth about Liverpool, you need to be taking a look at yourself.

without getting yourself into a froth about Liverpool, you need to be taking a look at yourself.

Can’t be helped when a character like Suarez has done so much to set himself up as a figure of hate. Add that to Stevie Me, particularly in reference to the defence of his bar room fisticuffs and it’s easy why fans, United or otherwise, have it in for them.

Anyone mentioning Suarez in the same sentence as Cantona deserves a slap off the bearded hop-grower themselves 😀

If you didn’t love Cantona already, then watch Looking for Eric. Got to admire someone who’s so revered, who’ll then royally take the piss out of themselves, and send up their own iconic status

I AM NOT A MAN! I AM CANTONA!!!! 😆

I agree – Suarez is a much better footballer than Cantona ever was. 😉

Cantona – definitely not being pretentious:

It is pretty cretinous of people like space monkey, slimjim, gogg etc to just assume what must have happened and offer a pat on the back – based on their mythologised image of someone who used to be good at kicking a ball around.

I think Suarez is probably an arsehole if it helps – but then I don’t feel the need to hero-worship anyone and try to fit facts into the narrative I’ve already invented.

Can’t be helped

I think you know it can. You can only be helped when you want it though.

I think you know it can.

Of course it can. I was speaking from a broader sense.

If you didn’t love Cantona already, then watch Looking for Eric.

TBH, I really wanted to like it (being a Cantona admirer and lifelong United fan etc), but I thought it was average at best, with a pretty shoddy ending. Just my tuppence of course.

A classic case of the sh1t hitting the fan

If there’s anything that we can learn from the likes of Cantona, Suarez, and plenty others etc is that one-eyed football supporters will forgive anything once the flawed character starts banging in goals and winning them games.

I was speaking from a broader sense.

I’m not sure I understand what you mean there. Perhaps you’d clarify?

spacemonkey – did you hear any of the interviews at the time with Cantona and Ken Loach? They were inspired. They bounced off each other like a quality comedy double-act. Bloody brilliant!

Bravissimo – I’d be prepared to forgive the racist cannibal if he’d STOP banging goals in 😀

If there’s anything that we can learn from the likes of Cantona, Suarez, and plenty others etc is that one-eyed football supporters will forgive anything once the flawed character starts banging in goals and winning them games.

i’d agree with you except for that you are wrong.

Dig deep enough and all of our idols are flawed.
I’d rather idolise a complex game/history changing character that takes a violent karate dislike to vitriol spurting extreme nasty type football ‘fans’, than 99.9% of our current celebrity type cultural leaders.

In fact, Cantona could have been a rubbish player of Carlton Palmer’esque skill levels, and I would still have mondo respect for him and his sense of justice.

In fact, Cantona could have been a rubbish player of Carlton Palmer’esque skill levels, and I would still have mondo respect for him and his sense of justice.

You’d never even have heard of him if that was the case.

Dig deep enough and all of our idols are flawed.
I’d rather idolise a game changing complex character that takes a violent karate dislike to vitriol spurting extreme nasty type football ‘fans’, than 99.9% of our current celebrity type cultural leaders.

You know, I think it’s just me today because I can’t understand a lot of what people are saying on this thread. That’s the second one now.