Your top 5 Eric Cantona MUFC moments + any stand out meetings

[Red News]

getting the 20 years on special ready on the King.

Just after people's thoughts on his top 5 moments for United...

and we've also had this appeal on the site

Have you ever had a really memorable encounter with Eric Cantona. Not run of mill, but special…?!


We're after the different, stand out memories with Eric Cantona that would make a great story. If you have one, and pics, let us know at [email protected] - cheers

[Brennan]

Kung Fu kick

Sunderland goal with raised collar

Chip at Sheffield Utd in the cup

Goal against Arsenal at OT to win 1-0 and he celebrated with the fans

Volley at Wimbledon

[Esquilax]

20 years?? Fuck me... :-(


Highlights:

1. Penalty v Liverpool in comeback (especially the Sky Sports 'montage' of it to "Whatever" by Oasis)
2. FA Cup volley v Liverpool
3. Goal v Blackburn at OT in Jan 1995
4. Header off the line v Chelsea in FA Cup semifinal (Motty: Headed off the line by..... Cantona?!? Is that??!)
5. Going into school the day after he signed and the look on the one Leeds fan in the class

Honourable mention to the goal away at Sheffield United when he sprinted the length of the field..

I'm not a fan of the Sunderland goal as he looks overweight and it was coming off the back of a period of poor form when people were questioning him...

[steviecoppellonthewing]

Many obvious choices but will always remember his first goal (at chelsea) that was the beginning of the whole affair, his ice cool two penalties in the '94 cup final & his hysterical scream after scoring an (important) winner at St James's park.

[Brennan]

Many obvious choices but will always remember his first goal (at chelsea) that was the beginning of the whole affair, his ice cool two penalties in the '94 cup final & his hysterical scream after scoring an (important) winner at St James's park.

Yeah great goal to pinch a win when we got battered at Newcastle.

Loved his spectacular effort at Chelsea when from near the half way he lobbed the keeper but it hit the bar and bounced out. If only...

I loved that Sunderland goal Esquilax cos it showed everyone that he was still the man and how he still was top dog, regardless of a poor apell

[Red News]

also, how did you hear we'd signed him, memories?

[kenslad]

1. FA Cup Final goal 1996. The icing on the cake, that great season.

2. Header at Maine Rd March 1993 ....... lovely goal !

3.Last minute equaliser at QPR 1996. My brother lost his spec's out his jacket breast pocket - over the top of the stand into the bouncing masses down below.

4 His performance and goals at Maine Rd Nov 1993. I had just come out of hospital after a couple of months laid low with an inner-ear virus- what a tonic.

5. The suspension comeback double against city at Old Trafford April 1994 - one in the eye for the ABU's after losing 2 of out of 3 previous league games.


I met Eric(still in his kit) down the tunnel at Wembley after the League cup final defeat to Villa in 94, I told him to ignore the press/media and shook his hand - he thanked me.

I was working at TNT Boddingtons brewery distribution centre when I heard of Eric's arrival. I was on the Friday 1pm -9pm shift unloading the barrels off the dray wagons, when about 4'ish one of the drivers came back with the good news - made the last few hours much easier !

[whocares]

also, how did you hear we'd signed him, memories?

twitter. or teletext, cant remember :) page 302, big white letters at the top.

so many favourite moments. as SCOTW, I loved his manic scream when he got the winner v newcastle.

most of all, i just loved him in the red shirt! easy to look back with rose tinted glasses, and he did benefit from being in an exceptional team, but he usually gave us that something extra. he was the first player in my life to do that at united.

[E.S.]

manic scream celebration

his return from his ban v liverpool

that fa cup final goal

his raised shirt collar

the chip v sunderland (was it sunderland? he did the chip then turned on the spot with his arms raised and i think mcclair gave him a cuddle? boy do i wish my memory was better)

[Brennan]

also, how did you hear we'd signed him, memories?

North West News tonight or Granada Reports.

The good old days when a signing was a surprise and I confirmed it on teletext!

[Red News]

here's a stat to ask you Andy...

how many 1-0 Eric wins did we have in the league

and how many 1-0 Ronnie?

[LR]

Have you ever had a really memorable encounter with Eric Cantona. Not run of mill, but special…?!


We're after the different, stand out memories with Eric Cantona that would make a great story. If you have one, and pics, let us know at [email protected] - cheers

Not me but a good mate of mine (one of the lads who took the 19 banner into Anfailed) was in the movie and has a few good tales!

[Jasper]

When Eric was at leeds i don't remember rating him as a good footballer or him registering on my radar, not in the same way i thought the likes of barnes, rush, gazza and linekar were all top players.

However i do remember being absolutely buzzing when i got home from school one day and my dad told me we'd just signed eric, so there must have been something inside me that knew he was top class.

My memories of eric were fantastic, i was a ball boy in the 1995/96 season and that was what i call 'erics season', although most will remember it as the season "you can't win nothing with the kids".

As a ball boy we used to not be too fond of the reserve games at old trafford on a cold dark evening with only a couple of hundred in the crowd. However my first real glimpse of him up close was at a reserve game and couldn't believe the size of the man, he was fucking huge. People talk about prescence, he had this. He had this look he would give you that said "alright son don't look so scared, i'm going to go out there and do the business today!"

His first game back was a reserve match against leeds on a saturday afternoon, i think there was around 23,000 there and if i remember rightly eric went off with an ankle injury. I remember conspiracies saying that it was just a sham to get eric out in the public and make a few quid at the same time. My other memory of that day is the ball boy next to me going to catch the ball and then going arse over tit over the little step between the crowd and the pitch in front of a packed south stand.

The liverpool game for his comeback is a day i'll never forget, the atmosphere was electric even though the ground was only 3 sides full. At the time i wanted to get on the tv as the teams were coming out and the ball boys lined up. The camera man always moved to his right showing the teams walking past him to the left so i decided i'd go on the left that day. The fucker went the other way and that clip is still shown constantly to this day, there goes my claim to fame!

As a ball boy we all got tickets to the final, and all us ballboys were stuck right at the top of wembley with a shit view on the back row, but we were exactly behind the goal and it seemed to go in, in slow motion but you just knew it was going in as soon as it landed to him. It was a superb final, or at least i thought until i got home and watched it again!

Other memories and top class goals were the chip against sheff united on a shitty windy night at brammall lane, the counter attack goal at the same ground.

Sunderland and THAT celebration.

Arsenal at home in 1996 with a 1-0 win in a pretty dull game.

2 pens in the cup final.

The spell where he seemed to get sent off every fucking week!

The seagulls! Classic speech, and i still maintain to this day that he knows what he meant even though he said he was talking nonsense.

Signing that ruddock was a fat cunt when he touched his collars!

Probably loads more, but i've already gone over the 5 asked.

[Red News]

Not me but a good mate of mine (one of the lads who took the 19 banner into Anfailed) was in the movie and has a few good tales!

if he has time to write them up be great.

An thanks lads for help so far, keep 'em coming - Jasper, brilliant!

You reckon 'tales of a ball boy' could be extended into a longer piece for the mag?

[E.S.]

here's a stat to ask you Andy...

how many 1-0 Eric wins did we have in the league

and how many 1-0 Ronnie?

you can ask ... but it creates a whole heap of work