Eric Cantona Was Even Better Than You Think

The very best of Eric Cantona for Manchester United — the Frenchman's influence on their rise to the top of the Premier League has been unmatched by any other player. It's not surprising that he was affectionately nicknamed "The King" by the fans — the nickname that before that belonged only to the great Denis Law.

Sorry for the weird effects on some of the clips, FA is pretty brutal with its copyright protection.

[datNERO]

Absolute undisputed number 1 at flick passes. Be it with heels, either side of the boot, shoulder, chest, head, whatever. His sublime touch was and still is unmatched in that category.

[MrAdammargerison]

Eric Cantona for me is the greatest foreign player ever to play in uk football, he actually changed the game in england, teams after cantona started to play with a creative centre forward ie zola, bergkamp etc, his skill level was sublime, what a lot of the videos on Cantona don't show as well is what he actually did defensively, he would literally clear balls off the line, we would be playing and he would pop up at full back lol, didnt get involved in the overall game that much but when he did it was pure magic, King Cantona in my own opinion the greatest ti ever play on these shores

[AndrewH]

Imagine the confidence he gave to the players around him. Pure class with perfect touch and weight of pass. A true legend and showman.

[sunnytoor]

Eric is the reason why I supported Man utd as a kid. Thank you for the great memories in my childhood. The iconic No.7 shirt will forever be his!! Long live the King!

[markkosmider]

Footballing genius is the only was to describe Cantona. His situational awareness was second to none.

[rayshowtv]

I'm a United fan and I always cry watching these videos. They are never the same again.

[mcooper]

I get goose bumps watching him, Eric was incredible.❤️❤️

[chomusic]

He was better with his chest than most players are with their feet.

[wakstar]

Wonderful video. I was lucky enough to see most of this live. I loved Eric. One of the best first touches of any player. Vision, passing range and creativity to unlock defences and also a massive bull of a centre forward too with a shot like a rocket and every type of finish in the book. Phenomenal player. World class.

[MrPaulc]

That very last goal was iconic for me, as everything about it encapsulated the man. He was an artist, but not just as a footballer, and his response after scoring that goal was the air of a man who was entitled to score such goals.

[ManciniMotors-jv]

My all time favorite footballer. You could not take your eyes off of him. His passing was sublime.

[andrewjack]

156 appearances, 70 goals and 56 assists. I think that says it all tbh.

[WallieTheRed]

As a young United fan at the time there really was nothing better than Cantona. He was an absolute genius and tough with it. My first true hero. Long live the king 👑.

Now time has gone on its amazing how many of our rival fans both Scouse and city all say they thought he was great. I like when a footballer can be that enigmatic that everyone remembers him so fondly. I think nostalgia plays a part as he wasn't just an icon for us reds, all the kids back then wanted to be Cantona in the playground regardless of who they supported.

Great video, makes me feel so proud but with dull ache of remembering my youth. The 90's were good to us

[mlh]

I'm a life-long City fan but loved watching that man play. He glavanised that Utd team and gave them something very special.

[peterturnbull]

Eric played in a team of world class players ….but he stood out. Love his attitude and genius he provided to the game. I have followed United since 1968 …but he is one of 3 standout players …..thank you Eric!!

[ianh]

One of THE best players of all time. He was a fiery character but he wouldn't have been as good if he wasn't. He owned the pitch. One of my very favourite players. Skill, a football brain LEGEND.

[deaddai]

This is wonderful. As a footy fan who only “discovered” the sport in the early 2000s, we often only see the same half-dozen highlights of the “greats” over and over without a lot of context. There needs to be more vids like this of pasttime legends. The “other” highlights that show why they were invaluable to the squad rather than their spectacular peak moments.

[jdig]

They were magic days growing up watching this team and Eric was the icing on the cake

[sebastienarmella]

Le Football dans son essence la plus pure, dans le geste le plus beau, dans l'offrande la plus sublime, dans le coeur le plus révolutionnaire et dans le plus grand des respects . Cantona donne toujours ce même frisson, cette sensation unique d'avoir vu un joueur de Football, Artiste et Roi, animé par la passion, la ferveur et la beauté de ce jeu . Gloire à lui !

[KingKong-eehc]

Cantona is the best footballer I’ve ever seen play in the premier league this guy was a genius. A big thank you to ur production team for putting this class video together it was a joy to watch. Long live the 👑