Cantona: The goalscorer

No tribute to Le Roi would be complete without a look at some of his most exquisite goals - the elaborate signature of his five stunning seasons at Old Trafford...

United 1 Arsenal 0 Old Trafford, 19 September, 1993
While renowned for his artistry and craft, Eric had brute force in spades. His ability to do the most effective thing meant that he often resorted to simplicity - in this case, just wallop it in the top corner. 30 yards out, against England's number one, but only the reinforced netting prevented there from being Stretford End casualties.

United 2 QPR 1 Old Trafford, 30 October, 1993
As well as the big occasions, Cantona could also take care of more humdrum opponents. A list of forgotten men are reeled off as he nudges the ball around Alan McDonald, speeds towards Clive Wilson and Darren Peacock before drilling a low shot past Jan Stejskal. Fans of old-fashioned physical football will appreciate Mark Hughes' subtle block on Peacock in the build-up.

United 1 Blackburn 0 Old Trafford, 22 January, 1995
Ignore the fact that he was inside the six yard box, this was one of the King's crowning moments. His final act in the 1994/95 season (prior to his Selhurst Park antics and his press conference tomfoolery) was this vital winner against Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn. Having sprinted and contorted to get on the end of Giggsy's cross, a regal nod was all that was required to put United - albeit temporarily - back ahead of Rovers in an absorbing title race.

United 1 Arsenal 0 Old Trafford, 20 March 1996
A rare lack of communication between David Seaman and his defence left Cantona with a loose ball, some 30 yards from goal. That Seaman was still back-pedalling as Eric unleashed a volley goalwards mattered not. Old 'Safe Hands' could have been atop a ladder and he still would have been helpless, so vicious was the dip on the shot as it clipped the underside of the bar and secured three priceless points towards the title.

United 1 Tottenham 0 Old Trafford, 24 March, 1996
With six goals in his previous eight games, Eric was the poster boy for United's 1995/96 title charge, striking winner after winner in a virtuoso run of form, including this decisive strike in a tense clash with Spurs. Having picked the ball up around halfway and drifted infield, Cantona's confidence was clearly overflowing as he opted - successfully - to drill home a left-footed winner past Ian Walker.

United 1 Liverpool 0 Wembley Stadium, 11 May, 1996
Perhaps the dullest FA Cup Final on record, but still one of the sweetest to recall after Cantona sealed his own redemption and the Double Double. After error-prone goalkeeper David James had flapped comically at Beckham's corner, the ball broke to Eric on the edge of the area. No matter that he needed to almost dislocate his hip to deal with the awkward bounce; the ball arrowed through a mêlée of hapless, exhausted Liverpool players before nestling beautifully in the only chink of goal he could aim for.

United 5 Sunderland 0 Old Trafford, 21 December, 1996
Close your eyes and you can still see it. A quick pirouette on the halfway line to evade two defenders, then a breakneck chase goalwards, a drumskin-tight one-two with Choccy and then the most sumptuous of chips in off the post. Simply glorious, and notable for the hallmark celebration; a slow-motion 360 degree turn to all corners of Old Trafford as if to say: "yep, that just happened."

Cantona: The catalyst

There have been longer, less torrid love affairs, but few are burned into the memory as indelibly as Eric Cantona’s five-season fling at Old Trafford. In the week he hits the silver screen in Looking For Eric, ManUtd.com examines why the Frenchman remains one of the club’s most idolised players…

That Eric Cantona's arrival from Leeds only slightly preceded the end of United's 26-year wait for the League title was no coincidence – the Frenchman was the brooding, swaggering catalyst behind the most successful period in the Reds' history.

Prior to his signing, the Reds were teetering between nearly men and battle-hardened winners. So much was already in place for success: The unflinching defence, a midfield combining industry and incision, and the blend of brutality and subtlety in attack.

It was a side which could claim to be the finest in the land, yet still missed that telling je ne sais quoi of champions. Cantona’s arrival provided the Gallic afflatus to send United over the tipping point - just as he had with Leeds some nine months earlier as the Whites pilfered the 1991/92 title from under the Reds' noses.

Midway through the following campaign, with the Reds in steady but unspectacular form, a phone call from Leeds chief executive Bill Fotherby provoked a moment of opportunism from Sir Alex. Fotherby had dialled Old Trafford to broach the potential signing of Denis Irwin. Instead, less than an hour later, he and Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson had agreed to send Cantona across the Pennines for a cut-price £1million.

With that spontaneous counter-offer, Ferguson had bought the player who would bring glory back to United. As the manager subsequently admitted in his autobiography: “One of the most extraordinary periods in the history of Manchester United was about to begin.” But beyond simply signing a top class talent who guaranteed more points and prizes, the Reds had snared a man with the mentality and charisma of a champion. Even the manager was taken aback by the immediacy of Cantona’s off-field impact.

At the end of his first training session at The Cliff, Eric strolled up to Sir Alex and asked him for two players and a goalkeeper, so that he may continue to practice. An extra half-hour was spent with the Frenchman volleying crosses from either side. The next day, half the first team squad stayed for the extra-curricular session.

“Many people have justifiably acclaimed Cantona as a catalyst who had a crucial impact on our successes while he was with the club,” said the manager, “but nothing he did in matches meant more than the way he opened my eyes to the indispensability of practice.”

A squad who, hitherto, had little tangible success to back up their glaring promise was revitalised. Over a quarter-century of anguish and near-misses was soon a distant memory as the Reds elbowed their way to the head of a three-way tussle for the title alongside Aston Villa and Norwich City. There was even the flourish of champions – seven straight wins to end the season in style.

The winning habit had started and Cantona, chest puffed, collar upturned, was the charismatic face of the new champions. Previously something of a journeyman, the Frenchman had a loving home at last. He had achieved near-divinity with United supporters, who saw in Cantona the edgy visionary which had lived deep within Manchester’s favourite sons, from Best to Bez.

As the adulation gushed forth from the stands, the trophies were flowing at a similar rate. In his five seasons at Old Trafford, Cantona won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Indeed the only season in which the Reds failed to clinch England’s crown, the French talisman was spectacularly sidelined. Had Cantona not taken exception to the baitings of Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons at Selhurt Park and collected a nine-month ban for his troubles, the history books could very easily tell the tale of United’s five successive league titles between 1993 and 1997.

Cantona’s importance during his playing career was obvious - he was team talisman and a phenomenal player. But it’s the seismic shift in mentality he instigated among the players which continues to be felt around Old Trafford. Over 12 years after he retired, the winning habit he championed shows no sign of culmination.