Anecdotes of eric cantona.

When the king ascended the throne, he felt at home.

Competition time:1993 65438+10.9, Manchester United 4: 1 Tottenham in the 23rd round of Premier League.

Pre-match background: This is the fourth game since Kim came to Manchester United. In the first three games, he scored in rounds and helped the team win, rising from the sixth place before joining the standings to the second place. At that time, the top three in the standings were as follows: Norwich ranked first with 4 1, but the goal difference was 0. Manchester United and Aston Villa scored 38 points, but Manchester United led the other team by 5 goals; Wednesday's match between leaders Norwich and Sheffield will be held a day later.

If Manchester United wins and Norwich loses, it ranks first. If Norwich loses and Manchester United wins by cantona alone, then cantona will go down in history as "the host of the first' meeting ceremony' in century football"-you know, cantona joined Manchester United in the middle of the season without even a friendly match.

Wonderful performance: In the 40th minute, Dennis Owen assisted the curveball cross in the frontcourt, which made cantona "fall from the sky" and outflanked the top. The ball went over the head of the Tottenham goalkeeper and broke the net.1:0. After the deadlock was broken, Manchester United won three games in a row in the second half, beating Tottenham Hotspur, which was in the middle but had the same strong momentum, with a score of 4: 1. And the last three goals are closely related to cantona-either the initiator of the beautiful attack or the person who contributed to the final pass that directly led to the goal.

After the game: "God helps those who help themselves", Norwich lost to Sheffield, which ranked downstream by 0 ∶/KLOC-0 ∶. In the following game, Manchester United was able to put on the league "yellow jersey" and cantona also completed the "first" greeting ceremony of century football.

Of course, such an amazing "hit it off" also made Manchester United completely find the feeling of winning the championship. Since then, it has been "out of control." By the end of the season, he won the team's first top league championship since 12, with a score of 24 wins, 6 losses and 80 points. And where 12 is 8 draws, 6 losses and 4 losses that happened before cantona joined. Even after he entered Manchester United, there was still a defeat (1:21the match against Puipswich was suspended due to injury on October 30th). It can be said that cantona, who just arrived here, completely plunged Manchester United into "as long as there is cantona, you will not lose."

Riding alone, the savior "suffers" and "suffers"

Competition time: 1993 65438+1October19 2nd round of the Champions League, Galatasaray, Manchester United 3-3.

Pre-match background: Manchester United Premier League 10, 1, 1 win 3 1 lose, unbeaten in consecutive rounds 10, and the limelight is unstoppable; In the 37-year history of the three European Cups, Manchester United is the only unbeaten team at home, and this game is also the first game of the two-leg knockout round of the new Champions League.

All speculations agree that Manchester United will enter the next round with a hearty victory.

Wonderful performance: After the game started, the home team Manchester United attacked fiercely. By the 46th minute, the whole Old Trafford was singing and the scene was overwhelming, with a score of 2-0. However, just as 60,000 Manchester United people were jubilant and celebrating, Galatasaray, who was regarded as a fishing team, was possessed. 13 minutes, it poured three goals into Manchester United, and suddenly it changed from 2: 0 to 2: 3. The home team was stunned and 60,000 fans were dumbfounded.

At this moment, the "King" stood up. With 10 minutes left in the game, under the close control of the visiting team, cantona broke through the tight encirclement and scored a goal worth millions of dollars for the home team, continuing the myth that Old Trafford was unbeaten in Europe.

After the game: cantona's indomitable character "drove" to turn the tide, and single-handedly supported the "Old Trafford myth" of Manchester United's unbeaten European Cup in 37 years. But a week later in Istanbul, cantona was sent off for insulting the referee, which personally "ruined" Manchester United's future, and it was the future of two consecutive Champions League-not only directly led to the team being eliminated by 16 with less away goals, but also banned by UEFA for four games, laying a hidden danger for Manchester United's trip to Europe next season. 1994/95 European champions league season, although Manchester United won two games without cantona, but in the group round robin with Barcelona, Gothenburg, Sweden and Galatasaray, it exposed the fatal injury of lacking cantona. In the first two games in which cantona was still absent, Manchester United scored 1: 4 and 6544 respectively.

Who is the mainstay?

Competition time:1April 23, 994, the 38th round of Premier League, Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City.

Pre-match background: After nearly a month and a half of listlessness, Manchester United summed up an experience that the Red Devils would not eat without Etona. First, in the 30th round of the Premier League, due to the absence of cantona due to injury, Manchester United lost to Chelsea 0 ∶/kloc-0, which not only reduced the lead to 7 points, but also directly ended the unbeaten record of 34 consecutive league and cup games that had been maintained for half a year. Then in the 32nd Premier League match against Svenden, cantona was sent off for a serious foul on the opposing player Munkel in the 67th minute, which led to the team being tied by the opponent in a good situation of 2:/kloc-0: 0, and the advantage of leading by 7 points in the standings was reduced to 5 points. Cantona was suspended for five games. After five rounds, Manchester United, who has been riding the dust, only scored 2 wins 1 draw and 2 losses, tied for first place with Blackburn's 79 points. This round is the first Premier League after cantona's lifting of the ban. Manchester United soldiers had seen the dawn of victory before the game. After all, in the days of "owning" cantona this season, Manchester United has 20 wins and 8 draws 1 negative in 29 battles; In the years of "losing" cantona, the Red Devils won three games, two draws and three losses in eight wars.

Wonderful performance: In full view, cantona, who lifted the ban, lived up to expectations. In this crucial city derby, cantona scored two winner goals in the "time of death" (helmut schoen, a famous former coach of West Germany, thought that attention should be highly focused on the first five minutes and the last five minutes of each half, because the goal rate was the highest in this time period, and of course, only real masters were best at grasping this "time of death")-in the 40th minute, before the end of the first half, it vividly showed the peerless demeanor of Manchester United kings. Lead the team to "monopolize the top spot" again (the only competitor Blackburn was tied at home by queens park Stadium spectator 1: 1, and fell behind by Manchester United again in the standings).

After the game: cantona came back, and Manchester United rekindled the original fire, all the way like bamboo. In the last four rounds, the league won 3 games 1 draw, and was crowned with 92 points in the Super League, which is also the highest scoring record of the top leagues in England in a century. In this season's FA Cup final, Manchester United completely defeated the so-called "Manchester United nemesis" Chelsea team with a disparity score of 4-0, making it the first double crown in the history of the Red Devils.

The battle of victory, the battle of victory.

Competition time:1995 65438+1October 22nd, 25th round of Premier League, Manchester United10 Blackburn.

Pre-match background: There is no doubt that this is the real peak confrontation in England in recent years, because the warring sides are the two best and most prestigious teams since the birth of the Premier League-in the first season, Manchester United was the champion and Blackburn was the temple; In the second season, Manchester United was still the king, and Blackburn was the runner-up. The championship battle between the two teams was not known until the fourth1round. So far this season, at the end of the first 24 rounds, the two teams are still far behind other competitors, just like last season.

This is a life-and-death battle to decide the champion, because at that time, the situation of the two teams-Manchester United ranked second with 50 points, but only lost 1 game in recent1game, which is very imposing; Blackburn topped the list with 55 points, playing 12 games in a row, "I don't know what it's like to lose", and the limelight was even stronger. Whoever can win the most crucial game will undoubtedly win the opportunity on the road to the championship.

Wonderful performance: What is most needed is a hero who has the final say in this peak showdown concerning the ownership of the champion. As a result, cantona, who has always been self-centered, became such a "jihad hero"-in the eighth minute, his 12 unbeaten goal of Blackburn suddenly collapsed. The score of 1: 0 was kept to the end.

After the game: Because of cantona's "final decision", Manchester United not only narrowed the gap with Blackburn, but more importantly, defeated the winning streak of Lien Chan at the crucial moment. After the game, the whole England agreed that this game was a "watershed" of this season, and Manchester United's dream of "double consecutive championships" (three consecutive victories in the Premier League and two consecutive victories in the FA Cup) will come true. However, three days later, on 25 October, 65438/KLOC-0, a world-famous "kick-off event" took place in the match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace (cantona kicked Crystal Palace fan Matthews), and cantona was suspended by the FA for eight months.

After losing cantona, the ambitious and well-placed Manchester United "got nothing" by the end of the season-the last round of the Premier League was "powerless" as long as it won and successfully defended its title, and it was runner-up with 1 minute; The semi-final of the FA Cup had to go through a rematch before it narrowly passed the interception of Crystal Palace, and the final was defeated by Everton.

The return of the king is full of glory.

Competition time: 1 995 65438+1October1,Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool in the 8th round of Premier League.

Pre-match background: This is the first match after cantona was suspended for eight months. Eight months after losing cantona, Manchester United suffered a lot: the bitter ending of last season, especially at the last moment, losing the Premier League and the FA Cup in a week (1May 995 14 and May 20), and the "Red Devils" suffered heavy losses.

In this season's Premier League, although Manchester United achieved good results, ranking second with 5 wins/KOOC-0/draw/KOOC-0/negative, in other events, in just one and a half months, Manchester United broke two big surprises-the second round of the League Cup lost to the second-tier team York 0-3, and the total score was 3: 4/KOOC-0 on June 5. In the first round of the UEFA Cup, the Russian Volgograd rotorcraft team (0: 0 away on September 13, 2: 2 at home on September 27, and the last equaliser was scored by goalkeeper Schumacher) was eliminated by any fan who couldn't remember his name after watching 10, and stopped moving forward when the curtain just opened, becoming the largest football team in Europe that year.

It is on this premise that if your Majesty does not return, the progress of the Red Devils will become more and more difficult.

Wonderful performance: the opening is only 60 seconds. Cantona, who didn't participate in any competition for 248 days, made it easy for him to attack on the left in the frontcourt. A wonderful pass helped Nicky easily head into the net, 65,438+0: 0. The whole old Trafford was filled with cheers. After robbie fowler, the "new emperor", took the lead for two consecutive cities, it was cantona who stepped forward to turn the tide at the crucial moment-the director personally took the penalty, and the whole old Trafford cheered again at 2: 2.

After the game: Although it was only a draw, and because of it, the Red Devils fell to the third place in the standings, but all Manchester United people thought it was a "victory", a "victory" above all else, because cantona's performance made them see the power of "anything is possible".

Please remember these two sets of numbers: 70- 70 minutes to turn the tide; 248—— After a lapse of 248 days, it took only 60 seconds to enter the game for the first time, and it was a wonderful pass and assist. This is undoubtedly the greatest "return of the king" in the history of world football.

Of course, it's just another manifestation of cantona's myth that no matter how long the injury stops, there will be wonderful performance as soon as it comes out.

The mane is ringing and the horse is barking.

Competition time:1995 101October 2 1 Japanese Premier League10 round Chelsea 1: 4 Manchester United.

Background before the game: For the following reasons, this game has become the focus of attention and discussion all over the world.

The Premier League has been in full swing since its foundation, and proud British people also think it is the best league in the world. However, the focus of football in Europe and even the world is Italy. Many people despise the Premier League and think it is just a "refuge" and a "sanatorium" for players. Only Serie A is the best league in the world, and the Premier League is several levels behind it. Players who can conquer Serie A can certainly conquer the Premier League. Ruud gullit, the first World and European Footballer of the Year since the Premier League was held, came to Chelsea in the summer of 1995, but he led Chelsea to a mediocre performance in nine rounds, ranking only 10. However, relying on his fame and influence, he conquered everyone-he was rated as the best in the scene six times in nine competitions, mirroring sports and shooting. Although Manchester United swept the Premier League in the first three seasons, they lost more than one draw and rarely won the game against Chelsea. In the away game, they lost all three games. Of course, this is all in the absence of cantona.

In this way, an ordinary league is endowed with the meanings of "Real Manchester United VS Nemesis plus superstar", "cantona VS gullit" and even "Premier League VS World".

Wonderful performance: After resisting the home team's crazy attack, Manchester United began to fight back, Nicky Bart made an accurate long pass from the right, cantona cleverly missed the ball, Paul Scholes lifted his foot and shot, and Russian Harlem (Chelsea goalkeeper) could only look at the ball and sigh.1:0. At this time, the game only lasted for 3 minutes. In the 9th minute, Manchester United succeeded offside-cantona made a wonderful pass after breaking the ball, and Scholes once again "took advantage" and made another effort, 2-0. In the 75th minute, Manchester United veteran Mark Hughes pulled back a goal in the chaos, 2: 1, but only after 3 minutes, Giggs made a forced breakthrough after receiving a pass from cantona, and stabbed the net with his toes at the moment when he lost his center of gravity, 3: 1. Five minutes before the end, it was cantona who skillfully passed the ball to the "vacuum zone". Andy Cole bounced the ball to the right, and Brian McClair, who just played, hit it with one punch, 4: 1. Manchester United won a hearty victory at Stamford Bridge, once again proving cantona's position as a leader in the Premier League.

Post-match situation: Although the kicking method and style are eye-catching, they are not eye-catching. They can even be said to be "the superstar with the least ornamental value in football history", but it does not prevent cantona from becoming the superstar who can always win the championship. Of course, among all his wonderful performances, this game is undoubtedly the most classic, because it gives the loudest slap to those who think that the Premier League is only a refuge and sanatorium for players, and at the same time breaks the superstition that Chelsea is the bane of the Red Devils and Stamford Bridge is Manchester United's hell. The victory of this game also makes more people pay more and more attention to the Premier League, because the Premier League has a world-class football master-eric cantona.

Mentoring, teaching and educating people, and creating great achievements together.

Competition time:1995 65438+6th round of Premier League on February 9th 17 Manchester United 2: 2 Sheffield Wednesday.

Pre-match background:1994 In May, after Manchester United won the double crown, Bryan Robson, the "great flag bearer", retired to wash his feet. 1In July, 1995, England's "midfielder" Paul Ince, Wales's "heavy artillery in the restricted area" Mark Hughes, and Russia's "golden right wing" Kanchelski changed players for various reasons. Before the game, other famous players, including Peter Schmeichel, the world's No.1 goalkeeper in the 1990s, sat in the stands because of injuries, stopovers and penalties. The once arrogant "Absolute Eleven of the Red Devils" was beyond recognition.

Ferguson, who is ambitious in all directions, has to "pull out the seedlings and encourage them"-let all the "young defenders" who intend to play one-on-one or substitute for training start, one for each side. However, 1 1 in the starting lineup, eric cantona remained firmly in charge, which was the only comfort for Ferguson. There is no denying that what Ferguson wants cantona to accomplish is an impossible task-to guide and lay a solid foundation for the next Manchester United dynasty.

Wonderful performance: cantona won the first prize for the home team 19 minutes after the opening, 1: 0, which caused cheers from more than 60,000 fans. However, the good times did not last long. Due to the absence of six main players, especially Danish goalkeeper Schumacher, Manchester United's defense crisis continued, and the visiting team Sheffield was determined to make a quick counterattack on Wednesday. Mark Wright and Ju Whitingham succeeded twice in the 59th and 78th minutes respectively, and the score was overtaken. The most difficult time is when cantona stepped forward. He received a tender pass from gary neville near the penalty spot and calmly shot the ball into the net from the far corner, saving the situation.

After the game: home game, draw, the opponent is the middle-ranking Sheffield Wednesday team, this is really a game not worth celebrating. But it was also a great game, because the "Young Guards" not only stood the test, but also got the psychological training of "ups and downs". Of course, all this was caused by eric cantona's writing, directing and acting.

This game was later regarded as the most crucial game in Manchester United 10 dynasty, and some people regarded it as cantona's greatest contribution to Manchester United. Without the mentoring and coaching of cantona/KLOC-0 on February 9, 995, Manchester United's "Young Guards" would not have the kingly temperament of "destroying whoever they see" in the future.

Relaxation has its limitations.

Competition time: 1996 1.7 third round of the FA Cup Manchester United 2-2 Sunderland.

Pre-match background: In the past three months and three days, eric cantona, who once swallowed Wan Li with a tiger's mouth, was in a state of ups and downs, and his performance was good and bad, which caused Manchester United to fall into a downturn. When he was in good shape, he won the championship. For example, the Premier League beat Chelsea 4: 10 in the first round, and beat the "leader" Newcastle 2: 0 at home in the 20th round. When he didn't perform well, he completely lost his balance. For example, the Premier League 18 lost 0: 2 to the main competitor Liverpool (Manchester United ranked second and Liverpool ranked third at that time), and the 22nd round of the Premier League. As a result, the situation of the team has been greatly affected. Although it is not behind in the standings, it only scored 7 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses in the 15 round (the 22nd round of the 8th round), and the points have been pulled by the "leader" Newcastle by 7 points. The first-ranked Newcastle and the third-ranked Liverpool are still one game less than Manchester United. However, it is undeniable that no matter how bad cantona's state and performance are, the best he can do is to relax and express his opinions-there is no impressive record of "being abnormal for two consecutive games".

So although Manchester United lost to Tottenham only three days ago with a record of 1:4 since the Premier League, no one was pessimistic. The opponent in this campaign was Sunderland in the relegation circle. Everyone thought that under cantona's command, Manchester United would win an unimaginable victory.

Wonderful performance: However, the charm of football match is that it will not be transferred by people's will. Sunderland, who was obviously weaker than Manchester United, conceded a goal first, but the formation was not chaotic at all. With strong fighting spirit and active fighting, Sunderland scored two goals in a row, leading 2:/kloc-0. In the face of fierce fighting and cantona's continuous downturn, Manchester United frequently made mistakes. The score of 2 ∶/kloc-0 ∶ passed by in frequent mistakes ... Seeing that Manchester United was about to repeat the sudden upset of the UEFA Cup, seeing that cantona's relaxation law was about to be destroyed, the final whistle was about to sound, and cantona, who was sleepwalking in the whole game, headed into the net at the crucial moment to help Manchester United equalize the score and let cantona's law continue.

After the game: Although the whole game continued to be depressed, even in a trance, cantona scored before the end. This "inexplicable" goal not only gave Manchester United a chance to regain face away from home, but also proved cantona's law almost by providence-two games in a row are never bad. Of course, this also "stimulated" cantona's arrogance-after 1 6 rounds, the team scored 9 goals and made numerous assists, and the team achieved 13 wins, 2 draws1negative results (especially the individual actually scored as many as 24 points for the team). Eight goals directly determine the eight games 65438+. As a "final star", his performance in the final round of the FA Cup helped the team win the championship again.

Generous and open-minded.

Competition time:1May 1996 1 1 FA Cup Final Manchester United10 Liverpool.

Pre-match background: In fact, there is a more important reason for the "arrogance" mentioned earlier. In order to recall the paranoia of French coach Aimee Jacques, and to participate in the 10 European Cup held in England from June 8 to June 30, eric cantona entered the state of stark raving mad after entering February 1996, leading Manchester United to sweep the English arena-the Premier League is invincible, and finally 65,438+. In the FA Cup, Manchester United was invincible in every game, especially in the semi-final, 2: 1, which made Gullit feel dejected. However, Aimee Jacques, who has made up his mind to support Zidane, has turned a blind eye to the brilliance of cantona and Manchester United, and eric cantona's name is still missing from his French team.

Wonderful performance: It is under this premise that the last game of Manchester United this season, the popular "Red Devils" kicked off, and the king, whose heart was hurt like never before, was not discouraged. He used the game to ask Jacques to play against France. In such an important game, cantona gave his best performance at the most critical moment-in the 86th minute, he showed his excellent ability to judge where the second landing was. Before me, that era had passed? Behind me, where is the next generation? "incisively and vividly", that is, the wonderful goal of "knowing the Oracle, moving ahead and sliding in the air" was born, and through this goal, he also sent the most heroic and most.

After the game: Great way, great goal, great game, great eric cantona drew the greatest ending for this great season. You know, all this happened on the premise of "unprecedented mental injury". After the game, cantona, who felt that he was a "perfect curtain call", gave up his plan for the second time (the first time was in Nice, France, at 199 1, but he was given up because he moved to Leeds United, England).

Please remember this set of shots-young Beckham takes a corner kick from the right, and cantona, standing in the center of the penalty area, foresees what will happen next and slides back quickly. Sure enough, just as he retreated to the fourth step and just retreated to the restricted area line, the ball was hit in front by the opposing goalkeeper. At the critical moment, cantona raised his right leg forward and headed for the volley. The ball passed through the messy crowd and jumped into the net from the goalkeeper. The best goal of the 1990 s was born.

The three armed forces retired after success.

Competition time:1996 65438+February 4th, the final round of the Champions League 16, Manchester United 2: 0 express Vienna.

Pre-match background: This season is the most difficult season for Manchester United since it entered the 1990s. Although eric cantona promised to "get on the horse and give a ride" to the "young defenders" under Ferguson's strong retention, the fact that the French team reached the semi-finals in the European Cup made him soberly realize that his dream of the World Cup had been completely shattered, and the depression and disheartening of the "soul man" doomed that "the blade of Manchester United will lose its edge". Manchester United is undergoing a major exchange of blood, so that the "Young Guards" officially stepped onto the front desk. From last year's occasional appearance or single appearance or substitute appearance, it has taken the lead in an all-round way, forming a brand-new team full of vigor and courage, but at the same time lacking spirit and domineering. Such recognition also doomed Manchester United's strength to cease to exist. This "blade will lose its edge" and "power will cease to exist" exploded like a "time bomb" two months after the start of the season, after cantona was sent off by a red card.

65438+ 10/9 Premier League 10 round, after cantona was sent off with a red card, the team finally lost to Newcastle United 0-5; 1On October 26th, the Premier League 1 1 round, Manchester United lost to Southampton 3-6, so that The Times commented that "it was the first time that Manchester United lost 1 1 ball in two rounds"; 161October 30th, in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, Manchester United lost 0-1to the little-known Turkish Fenerbahce team, ending the glorious history of unbeaten home games in Europe for 40 years. 1 1.2 10/2 round of Premier League 12 at home 1: 2 lost to the "nemesis" Chelsea team; 165438+1October 20th, the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League16 group match, lost to Juventus 0: 1 at home, which made Manchester United have to qualify even if they won in the final round. I lost five of the six games in a row. If it weren't for the "own goal" of Arsenal defender Winterbourne in the Premier League 1 13 rounds on October 6, everything would be even more incredible-six-game losing streak (because165438+1October 9 is the World Cup qualifier).

Ferguson and cantona were angry.

Wonderful performance: cantona was in a rage and the team won the game immediately-although he didn't contribute a goal or even an assist, his dream woke up and gave Manchester United a backbone and a beacon to victory. With cantona's brilliant performance and two goals from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Beckham, Manchester United won a game that must be won.

After the game: Breaking the cycle of unbeaten games, reaching the top eight in the Champions League (Juventus beat Fenerbahce 2-0, and finally ranked first in the group with 16, Manchester United ranked second in the group with 9, and Fenerbahce ranked third), especially the return of cantona's state, which made Ferguson smile. "Although the British Isles are chilly in spring, the spring of Manchester United has arrived!" Sure enough, after that, Manchester United's performance was completely different. In the Champions League, Porto Portugal was eliminated and entered the semi-finals. In the semi-final, only "bad luck" was eliminated by Dortmund, Germany, which won the championship in the end. In the Premier League, Manchester United won the once unimaginable championship with a score of 2 1 win 12, 5 losses and 75 points.

After that, the "King" retired.

To tell the truth, without cantona's "getting on the horse and getting a ride" this season, Manchester United could not have won the Premier League "three consecutive championships" in 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/0 1 and could not have won it in1998. Of course, cantona's "get on the horse and give a ride" this season is a systematic and all-round guidance for the young guards. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once commented on cantona's help to them. "Cantona is my guide. On the court, he told me what to do and how to move. He told me to relax on the court. I've never seen anyone like him. I admire not only his skills, but also his character. " He only spent one season with eric cantona, that is, 1996/97.

Finally, there is a topic about goals-cantona's 80 goals in Manchester United 178 matches are valid, or finally, or break the deadlock, or catch up, or turn the tide, or come from behind. In short, they are priceless "golden goals"; Formally, in addition to penalties and free kicks, it is the "master style" of positional warfare and secondary attack, which is especially valuable in the British Isles where fast break and counterattack are the mainstream.

Please also remember these two sentences:

Ferguson-"cantona is the champion!"

Bbc-"1966 is the most important one for English football, because England won the world championship that year? No, because eric cantona was born that year! "