On 16 December 1991 at the age of only 24 years, Cantona announced his supposed
retirement after throwing a match ball at a referee during his spell with Nimes. He was supposed to be banned for 1 month, however Cantona, responded by walking up to each member of the hearing committee and calling them an “idiot”. Michel Platini, the French national team coach, persuaded him to continue to play Football. Cantona decided to restart his career in England.
Cantona joined Leeds United in January 1992 for 900.000 pounds. The Frenchman became quickly fan favourite for the Yorkshire side. He was part of the team that won the last First Division before it became the Premier League. He played 15 appearances that season scoring 3 goals. At the start of 1992-93 season, Cantona scored a hattrick in Leeds´4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA charity shield. Cantona received a lot of praise and according to Joe Lovejoy, reporter for the Independent touted Cantona to be better than Alan Shearer. “If he can sustain form and enthusiasm when summer friendlies give way to mid-winter slog, he will be a snip at pounds 900,000 - a quarter of what Blackburn Rovers have paid for the less gifted Alan Shearer.” Cantona drew interest from Manchester United and on 26 November, he was signed for 1.2 million pounds.
Manchester United did not start the season well before Cantona arrived. They were falling behind Aston Villa and Blackburn had more spending power. Alex Ferguson and United were in a striker crisis. They made many unsuccessful bids for players like David Hirst, Matt Le Tissier and Alan Shearer. Ferguson bought Cambridge striker Dion Dublin for 1 million who suffered a broken leg after only a few games. Despite the struggles, Cantona settled immediately into the team alongside Mark Hughes. He made a great impact with his scoring and his ability to create chances. However, Cantona continued to cause trouble and was fined 1.000 pounds after he spat at a Leeds supporter on his return to Elland Road. Manchester’s form improved significantly after Cantona arrival and they only lost twice in the League. Manchester won the League for the first time in 26 years by 10 points. Cantona became the first player ever to win consecutive English top division titles with different clubs.
In the 1993-94 season, there was the first usage of squad numbers and Cantona was given the iconic number 7 shirt. Cantona continued his great form and was voted PFA (players football association) player of the year as Manchester retained the Premier League. He finished the season with 25 goals in all competition.
The infamous kick
United looked to win the title for the third consecutive season in the 199495 seasons. Cantona had a great start to the season. In January he had scored 12 goals. However, on January 25 Cantona got involved in of the footballs iconic moments which spark controversy worldwide. Cantona was sent off on the 48th minute after tackling crystal palace defender Richard Shaw .it was the 5th time in 16 months in which he was sent off. On his way to the tunnel he heard a supporter by the name of Matthew Simmons confronting and shouting at him. Cantona launched a “kung-Fu” kick at Simmons. The kick shocked everyone and Cantona was handed nine-month ban from football. Manchester United fined Cantona for 20.000 pounds and confirmed that he would not play for the first team for the rest of the season. It was only because of his ability and great success he brought to Old Trafford that saved him from being sacked from United. United did not manage to win the Premier League as Blackburn won it. In an interview with the BBC in 2011, Cantona admitted that the kick was a “great feeling” but a mistake. “When I did the kung fu kick on the hooligan, because these kind of people don’t have to be at the game ... it’s like a dream for some, you know sometimes to kick these kind of people. It’s a great feeling, but different “.
Cantona made his comeback on 1 October. The lengthy spell on the sidelines meant that Cantona struggled to perform. Manchester won the Premier League for the third time in four seasons. United also won the FA Cup in 1996 and with regular Captain Steve Bruce was not included due to fitness issues, Cantona became the first player outside Britain and Ireland to lift the FA Cup as a captain. The following season, Cantona was named Manchester united Captain as Steve Bruce left for Birmingham City. He lifted the Premier League trophy in 1996-97. Cantona had won 6 domestic league titles in 7 years with Marseille, Leeds United and Manchester. At the end of the season, he announced that he would retire from football at the age of 32. Cantona scored80 goals for Manchester United.
Post by: Guðjón and Tristan
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