Eric Cantona’s career at Old Trafford lasted only 5 years but its lasting impact can still be felt today. During that comparatively small span, Cantona’s dedication and self-confidence enabled a club to emerge from over a quarter of a century of failure and self-doubt.
Cantona’s career before he arrived in England had been nomadic at best, self-destructive at worst. He blazed a trail through French football but the highest profile incidents centred on his spectacular misbehaviour and clashes with authority. By the time he was snapped up by Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson in early 1992, he seemed to have burned most of his bridges in France.
A lucky phone call was the catalyst for Cantona’s £1m transfer to United following a brief Leeds career during which the Frenchman had added inspiration to a team founded on perspiration. Most Manchester United fans recognised Cantona’s class, his decisive role in Leeds 1992 title triumph and his instant hero status among Yorkshiremen. Yet few could have anticipated the quality that would shine through following his arrival at Old Trafford.
