"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much."
-Eric Cantona, 1995-
On this day in 1992. A signing that is still being talked about till today. Eric Cantona is Mr. Manchester United. He signed for The Red Devils for a fee of £1.2m pounds from Leeds United. A club record signing at that time. He will always be remembered by the United faithful for his sense of style on and off the pitch. People who don't understand describe him as aloof but people who adore him describe him as God.
Eric Cantona certainly added another dimension into United's game. He was one of the few who could carry United all by himself. On the pitch, he was certainly a fiery person. A role model for young players like the Neville's, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and Keane who later went on to win the treble in 1999 and engrave their own names in United's history books. It is easy to say that Cantona was the Mozart of Manchester United, orchestrating every play with perfectness at will.
A simple call by Sir Alex to Howard Wilkinson then Leeds United had changed the direction of Manchester United as a football. A club that was described to be in a mess by the gaffer himself. During Cantona's stay at the club, United had won four titles in five years. However, United would have added another one to United's cabinet if he had not tried to show off his kung fu ability at a fan who shouted xenophobic chants at Cantona who was already sent off for kicking another player during a tackle.
Eric commenting on the kick : "My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan.''
He was consequently banned for 8 matches. Got stripped out of his captaincy for the French national team and even was completely thrown out of the national team. He served his ban and 120 hours of community without any complaints. He scored on his return for the club- against Liverpool and scored a penalty to salvage a point for United at Old Trafford. One of many finest moment as a United player came when he scored that peach of a goal against Sunderland during the Premier League tie in 1996.
King Eric had made 185 appearances for the club while scoring 82 goals. His contributions to the club will always remembered by The Stratford End. His greatest season has a Manchester United came during the 1995/96 season, during which he scored 19 goals in all competitions, one of the few men to reach double figures during that season.
During that season, United had won the Double, a feat that the team completed twice in 3 seasons. The highlight of the season for him was winning the FA Cup in emphatic fashion, scoring a long-range against Liverpool at Wembley. He also scored in six consecutive games from March to April to see off Newcastle's faltering title challenge. He was also voted as The Footballer Of The Year by The Football Association.
At the end of 1996/1997, the King had decided to call time on his glistering career at the age of 30. The team had just won another title but missed out on European glory exiting during the semi-final stage of the tournament at the hands of Antonio Conte's Juventus.
The United Faithful will never cease to forget King Eric even into the distant future. He was a player of calibre, a man of class and strength. Suppoters at The Stratford End still sing his name because of who he is to the club, he is Mr Manchester United.
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