Top Facts About Eric Cantona, King of Manchester United

The Old Trafford King is one of the football stars in the 90s. He is best known for his skills in the field. The French king was physically strong, passionate, and a hardworking forward. His capability in combining technical skills with strength and creativity which all resulted in goal scoring was one of a kind. Find out more updates about

Eric Cantona net worth

and salary, his personal life, and what is he been up to recently.

Eric Cantona is often regarded as the Important factor in the rise of Manchester United as a footballing force in the 1990s and having an iconic position at the club. Although he led the red devils, brought honor and recognition to the club but his presence was brief and he retired in 1997. You also can learn more about

Eric Cantona personal life

in this article.

Interesting Facts About Eric Cantona You Might Not Now

Eric Cantona gave an incredible performance in the field and made his way into the hearts of the fans. They called him "King Eric" and he was elected as the team’s greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. Despite all his glories in football, King Eric decided to change the course of his career and take another turn. Learn more about his new career and more

top facts about Eric Cantona

coming up!

Eric Cantona Childhood and Early Life

Everyone knows who the legendary King of Red Devils is but only a few know the details of his early life. Now without further adding let’s dig a bit deeper into

 Eric Cantona Childhood

. Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona was born on 24 May 1966 in Marseille to Éléonore Raurich and Albert Cantona. His family was poor, and Eric Cantona parents were both working. His mother Éléonore was a dressmaker and his father Albert was a nurse and also a painter. 

He has two brothers, Jean-Marie who is 4 years older than him, and Joël who is 17 months younger than him. Eric’s nationality is French, but he also has Italian and Spanish roots. His maternal grandfather participated in the Spanish Civil War in 1938 and fought the armies of General Franco. He got injured in his liver, and he had to come back to France. The details of Eric Cantona Childhood indicate that at such a young age the legend used to play football in the street and he was a big fan of the Marseille Club. Eric Cantona Age was 15 when he first started playing as a goalkeeper at the local club SO Caillolais.

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Eric Cantona and the Road to Fame

The king started following the footsteps of his father and played as a goalkeeper but his talents and creativity began to take over and he often played in the field.

Eric Cantona parents

were very proud of him. At the time he was playing in SO Caillolais, he appeared in more than 200 matches. But SO Caillolais was a local club and for a young footballer with such ambition, there was more to come. Based on the top facts about Eric Cantona, his first professional club was

.

He served two years in the youth team and then made his debut on 5 November 1983 against Nancy which was a 4–0 league victory. Later he had to complete his national service. After his discharge, he was loaned out to Martigues. When the loan ended, he made a comeback to Auxerre but this time he signed a professional contract. The French footballer made an amazing performance and while

Eric Cantona age

was barely twenty he got his first full international cap.

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Eric Cantona Shocks Everyone with His Behavior

Despite his great performance and creativity, Eric Cantona had disciplinary problems. In 1987 he punched his teammate Bruno Martini in the face and he was fined for his behavior. The next year the French footballer attacked a Nantes footballer named Michel Der Zakarian. He was suspended for 3 months which got reduced to 2 months because the Auxerre Club threatened they would make him unavailable for national team selection. Eric Cantona was a talented player, and he was part of the France under-21 side that won the 1988 U21 European Championship. Eric Cantona stats show that he scored a hat-trick against the England under-21 side.

Eric Cantona transfer market stats

indicate that he made a transfer to

his favorite football club from childhood and signed a contract worth more than €3million. In 1989 during a friendly match against

, he kicked the ball toward the crowd then he ripped off his shirt after being replaced by another player. His club had no choice but to ban him again. He also insulted his team coach Henri Michel on TV and was banned for one year from participating in any international matches. Cantona struggled to find his place at Marseille. He made a loan transfer to Bordeaux for six months than to Montpellier for a year.

At Montpellier, he had a fight with his teammate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. Six players demanded that Cantona be sacked but his teammates intervened and finally, he was spared. Although he got banned for 10 days. Cantina’s skills in the field were one of a kind and as the team went on to win the French Cup, Marseille wanted him back. Cantona made a comeback to Marseille and under the supervision of coach Gerard Gili, he performed well. Despite his efforts and assists that helped them win the French Division 1 title, Eric Cantona transfer market stats show that he was transferred to Nîmes.

In 1991 during a match, he threw the ball at the referee who angered him with one of his decisions. He was summoned by the French Football Federation and got banned for one month. Cantona called each of the members of the committee an "idiot". They increased his ban to two months and Cantona accordingly announced his retirement on 16 December 1991. The

coach, Michel Platini had high regard for Cantona and urged him to make a comeback. But he listened to the advice of Gérard Houllier and his psychoanalyst that he should go to England and start his career there. Cantonal stated, "He [my psychoanalyst] advised me not to sign for Marseille and recommended that I should go to England." More

top facts about Eric Cantona

coming up!

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Eric Cantona Continues His Football Career in England

Based on Eric Cantona transfer market stats he joined Leeds United in January 1992. He scored his first goal for the team in a 2–0 victory at home to Luton Town and he assisted his teammate Lee Chapman score the second goal. He made 15 appearances that season. He scored only three goals in that season, but he had a very effective role in the team, made a lot of assists, and helped Chapman in scoring goals. Cantona continued his amazing performance and Two days later the manager Howard Wilkinson announced that he wanted to complete Cantona transfer from Nîmes and permanently sign a contract with him.

Cantona was paid more than €7k per week which was pretty generous at the time. With their victory against

, Leeds didn’t face any loss in the last five games and secured its position in the league. Based on

Eric Cantona stats

, in August 1992 in the FA Charity Shield of that year, Leeds was missing lots of its key players and Cantona managed to score a hat-trick in a 4–3 victory against

. It was the first hat-trick in the Charity Shield since Tommy Taylor in 1957. This hat-trick put Cantona among the small group of players who scored three goals or more in matches at Wembley Stadium.

On 7 November in a 4–0 loss against Manchester City, Cantona along with the rest of the team didn’t perform very well. Cantona was blamed for dreadful misses as Watford got ahead of their position in League Cup on 10 November. Despite the fact that Cantona scored for the team against Finland, Wilkinson didn’t let him play. Cantona was upset that he was left out of the team and on 24 November he faxed a transfer request mentioning that he prefers to play for Manchester United, Liverpool, or Arsenal. Learn more

top facts about Eric Cantona

in the following!

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The Historical Transfer of Cantona That Changed English Football for All Time

Alex Ferguson knew that his team was in need of a striker, so he asked if Cantona was available or not. Since Cantona and Wilkinson weren’t on such good terms Cantona got transferred to Manchester.

was falling behind and losing games to its opponents and had the eighth position in the Premier League. Ferguson made a lot of effort to get talented players on board and turn the fortune of the team around. Cantona found his place quickly, and he managed to get the team in shape. He scored goals and also assisted his teammates providing chances for them to score.

He scored his first goal in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in December 1992 and his second goal was on Boxing Day in a 3–3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. However, Cantona once again lost his temper and spat at a fan. He was fined by the Football Association. With Cantona on board, the Red Devils only lost twice in the league and by the end of the season, they earned 10 points and finished as champions for the first time in 26 years. Cantona was the first player to win consecutive English top division titles with different clubs. He had won a domestic league title with different clubs for three successive seasons, having helped Marseille win the French league title in 1991.

In the 1994 FA Cup final against Chelsea, Cantona scored two penalties which resulted in a 4–0 win. He was voted PFA Player of the Year in that season. Eric Cantona stats show that he finished the season as Red Devils ‘top scorer by scoring 25 goals. By defeating their opponents Red Devils earned 13 points and their victories put them clear at the top of the league. Later they earned 3 more points and at the end, they finished 8 points ahead of runners-up

. Top facts about Eric Cantona indicate that he was Red Devils’ top scorer with 26 goals in all the games. The football legend wore number seven Red Devils shirt which was later worn by incredible footballers like David Beckham and

.

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Eric Cantona Attacks a Fan with A Kung-Fu Kick

Based on the unforgettable top facts about Eric Cantona, on 25 January 1995, Eric Cantona assaulted a fan during a match against Crystal Palace. The incident made lots of controversial headlines worldwide. Before it happened Cantona was sent off by the referee for kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw after he frustrated Cantona during the game. He was heading toward the tunnel, and one of the fans of Crystal Palace cursed him and said racist things. His actual word was: "F*** off back to France, you French b******." Cantona attacked him with a Kung-Fu Kick and carried on with a series of punches.

In addition to disciplinary action from his club and the FA, Cantona also faced a criminal charge of assault and was sentenced to two weeks in prison, but he was freed on bail and instead, he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. Some critics demanded that Cantona be banned from playing football for life. In a press conference which was held later Cantona stated in response to what happened, “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.” This became one of the legendary quotes of Eric Cantona.

After being banned and fined Cantona was upset and didn’t want to extend his contract with Manchester United but Alex Ferguson convinced him to stay in the club. In 2002, the Kung-Fu incident was ranked number 12 on Channel 4's poll of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. Top facts about Eric Cantona show that in 2011, he stated that the attack on the fan was "a great feeling" and he was happy that he left a good memory for the fans but "... it was a mistake".

Cantona’s ban deprived him of appearing in the

or UEFA Cup campaigns but he scored in four of Manchester United's six matches on the way to the 1996 FA Cup Final against Liverpool. In one match while the captain of the team Steve Bruce couldn’t play due to injury, Cantona took his place and led the team to the final. He managed to score the only goal in the game. Manchester United won the final and this victory made the Red Devils be the first club to win the Double twice and Cantona the first FA Cup-winning captain from outside the British Isles. Stay tuned for more top facts about Eric Cantona.

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Eric Cantona Retirement

The most charismatic and controversial footballer decided to retire at the end of the 1996–97 season. Eric Cantona age was 30 when he announced this decision. The football community was shocked to hear this news. Cantona scored 64 league goals, 13 in domestic cup competitions, and 5 in the Champions League which means he scored 82 goals in less than 5 years. Cantona was on the list of 100 League Legends. Following his retirement, Cantona went and started a career in cinema for himself.

Eric Cantona Wife and Children

As for

Eric Cantona wife

, he was married to Isabelle Ferrer in 1987. Isabelle was a teacher and she gave birth to Eric Cantona children, Raphael and Josephine. Raphael is 33 and Josephine is 26 years old. On the set of the movie The Overeater in 2002, he met the 25-year-old French actress Rachida Brakni. Cantona’s actual words about meeting Rachida for the first time was “It was love at first sight, it does happen – and it happened to me. I wanted nothing more in my life than to be with her. That was, suddenly, my goal.” He moved in with Rachida and after 15 years of marriage, he divorced Isabelle in 2003.

Cantona started a career in acting in his thirties and played in many movies like Elizabeth (1998), Looking for Eric (2009) and etc. His new movie is Inhuman Resources which was released in 2020. Cantona married Rachida in 2007. Rachida gave birth to Eric Cantona children, Selma a seven-year-old girl, and Émir an eleven-year-old boy. Facts about Eric Cantona salary and net worth coming up!

Eric Cantona Salary and Net Worth

Now let’s get into the details of

Eric Cantona salary

. He had the biggest income in the Premier League over the years. For football legend and a successful actor and director, he managed to be a wealthy man over the years. Eric Cantona net worth is estimated to be around 30 million Euros. We don’t know how much Eric Cantona salary is precisely but judging by his multiple incomes it’s pretty great. The retired footballer has launched a cosmetic line and healthcare products with his wife. You can pay a visit to the nostra website and see for yourself.

He also had plenty of endorsement deals and commercial partners. He worked with Nike since he played football. In 2020 he teamed up with EA Sports and participated as a team icon in FIFA 21. He also appeared in many promotional videos to declare "The King is back!" The king showed how generous he is by donating his Rolls Royce to charity. Before it went to auction, it had some graffiti work done on it.

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Eric Cantona Social Media Accounts

As for Eric Cantona Social Media Accounts, he has an account on Instagram with more than 800k followers and he has 35 people on his following list which is signed up by the username of

. He mostly posted pictures of himself and also you can see pictures of

Eric Cantona children

and his wife as well. Get more updates on Eric Cantona personal life by following him. 

Other

Eric Cantona Social Media Accounts

include Facebook which on this platform there is an account with the username of

. There is no sign of the blue checkmark, so we can’t verify that this account belongs to him. 76k people follow this account, and 37k had liked this profile. As for his Twitter there is an account that is signed up by the username of

with more than 11k followers. There is no sign of the blue checkmark here too so we can’t say for sure that this account belongs to the king.

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