Eric Cantona thrilled Manchester United fans like no one before

Cantona was a natural leader – he didn’t do anything special to achieve it. He just possessed an overpowering magnetism that others cannot help but follow. The Frenchman’s biggest asset was that he had no particular method or trick or speech to motivate his peers. He inspired awe in them by just being himself.

Eric Cantona’s growing influence in the team also achieved him near-divinity amongst the United fans. His stay was short, but impact was enormous. Eric Cantona still remains the most popular player ever to play for Manchester United.

Sir Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs played more games and scored more goals, George Best was more skillful, and Denis Law was crowned as the ‘king’ of Stretford End. Yet, none of United’s holy trinities, even in their pomp, developed a mutual love with the supporters that Cantona had.

His love affair with the fans could belittle any romantic script from a Hollywood script writer.

Besides being a firm fan favourite, a model professional, an inspirational leader, Cantona was also an ultimate entertainer and a showman. Back in the early 90s, a trip to Old Trafford was not just about football, it was a mere sub-plot in the weekly adventures of the talismanic Frenchman.

Anything that he portrayed on the football pitch, be it his exaggerated gestures, his movements, or just the way he carried himself on the pitch weren’t meant just for his immediate peers; they were a gift from a superstar to his audience, an insight into the mood of the lead character.

This was something that hasn’t been seen since the days of George Best flaunting his demeanor on the football pitch. But whereas the Irishman’s looks attracted a multitude of female admirers to the field, Cantona’s appeal was purely football.

The eternal love that he shared with the people still hasn’t diminished even though he hung up his boots 15 years ago. The famous Stretford End at Old Trafford still indulges in the melodious cacophony of “Ooh-aah Cantona” chants – a testament to his never-dying popularity amongst the fans. The mantra says, no one is bigger than the club, but Cantona came mighty close.

Nobody is bigger than the club, but Eric Cantona comes mighty close

Eric played five seasons for Manchester United, winning four Premier League titles and two FA cups. It’s not a surprise that the only season he and United failed to win the league was in the one he got banned for eight months after he kicked a fan in a game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. He top-scored in the 1993/94 and 1995/96 Premier League campaigns, scoring a string of vital winners along the way.

The only blemish in his playing career was, perhaps, his inconsistent form in the Champions league, but the fact that United, as a team, never came to terms with the unforgiving nature of the European competition in his time at Old Trafford provides some insight. It was one such defeat, against Borussia Dortmund in 1997, that made him decide to call it a day. The departure, as was his arrival, was inevitably sudden and dramatic.

There was no fading away, no slinking away from the spotlight, just a normal step forward, one final emphatic bow and an exit. Just like any great entertainer!