Manchester United legend

Chapter 116 Cantona's place in history

Cantona's reputation in England is extraordinary: in Manchester United he is regarded as the best in history, in the FA he is described as the image of the Premier League, and in the entire football world, he receives even more attention than the Ballon d'Or winner.

He bridged the communication between the French and the British, he opened up a channel for the integration of technical football and physical football, he decided the outcome of the game and the championship.Under the raised collar, he is a man like a king.

For a long time, we have missed Cantona very much.In his era, he almost performed the various styles of a football star to the extreme.

On the court, he is the focus of all attention, a figure closely watched by players on both sides, and determines the outcome of the game; outside the football field, his every move has become a hot spot for reporters. The darling of football.

Yes, he is the darling of the Premier League.Oh no, it should be said that he made the Premier League the favorite of fans.

The eccentric and brilliant Cantona, described by Fleet Street journalists, was a footballer of prodigious talent whose influence on British football was incalculable.The Cantona who launched a new generation of "Super Sunday", the Cantona who led the overwhelming media trend and was keen to be reported, the Cantona who made us believe his every word.

Cantona, whether we like it or not, means a lot to us.

He was a miracle, a big man.He surprised the naive Premier League in its early days, held on to his football in a league fraught with unease and resistance to outsiders, and the game changed before our eyes.

The dichotomy between English football's pursuit of order and Cantona's portrayal of flawed geniuses led to a surge of protectiveness among United fans and, eventually, a flood of admiration for all of us a few years later.

If you leave Manchester United or Ferguson aside, to a certain extent, Cantona has set up a bridge for the smooth communication between British football and the outside world.It's not through more games, it's through quality and the new Premier League style of play.

Cantona is not the most technical player at his feet, but his appearance, especially the flexibility and key role he has shown in Manchester United's entire lineup and tactical system, is enough to give him a place in the football world outside the UK.

As a result, it is enough for the team he leads or commands to rapidly expand its influence outside the Premier League.

Of course, Cantona is such a player with such characteristics, a player who can perfectly combine the two qualities of an iceberg and a volcano, and a guy who is so humorous, so rebellious, and so interesting. Naturally, he can make all the football media focus on this, and then spread the aura.

Not only that, Cantona even broke through the wall between football and fields outside football.

In that era, Cantona was not just a football star, he was also an entertainment star and a social star.His news not only appeared on the sports page, but also on the news page and the social page.

It can be said that before Manchester United, the Premier League, and Beckham, Cantona was the first pioneer and pioneer who expanded the charm and influence of football to areas of life other than fans.Different from Beckham's "heartbeat" image and the later Spice Girls as the medium, Cantona gave people more strange impressions because of his unique and charming temperament.

At first, reporters would think that Cantona was completely neurotic, a thug on the green field.

But in fact Cantona performed both extremely elegant, artistic skills and violent, unimaginable fouls during the game.

It wasn't really part of traditional English football (blood, slams, kicks, brawls) - Cantona was not only an unrivaled talent, but also a tough guy.This fact makes it difficult for British fans to paint him as a "sissy foreigner".

And no one knew what he was going to do next, and no one, or only a very, very small number of United fans, knew how to react to it.

Cantona's personality has often been used by fans to excuse incidents it triggered, which fans say were only inspired by his emotional continental attributes.

The British like to laugh at the high-spirited, bombastic "foreign roosters" as if they will get their karma in football sooner or later, but they agree that Cantona is an exception.

There was no bombast about him, nor did he need any special care.On him, there is only head held high.It's as if he is the word personified.And whether it's violence or talent, he deserves it all.

From the perspective of the development of the Premier League, Cantona has played a great role in the growth of the Premier League and the status of the first league.Before and after the start of the Premier League, the weakness of British football at that time was actually easy to explain. British clubs did not need any reason to look at themselves with self-pity, because it was not until 1992, two years before Cantona joined Leeds United, that the European ban as one of the punishment measures for the Heysel tragedy was lifted.

British football was trying to make a name for itself, but at the time it was facing internal and external troubles-the domestic conservatives would make the sport die out step by step, while the foreign reformers, such as the large-scale funded project of Sky Sports for the global strategy, would bring too much impact. Where they would actually take football was still unknown at the time.

The rise of Manchester United and the arrival of Cantona like a superstar have completely brought the Premier League to a correct and reasonable track.In any sense, Cantona will become an important foreign aid in the history of British football.

The process of mutual acceptance and assimilation between local and foreign aid requires a period of adaptation.When Cantona first arrived in England, people didn't like him.Even if he brought both Leeds and Manchester United championships, many fans have always had a certain emotion-they feel that the Frenchman's violence and rebelliousness are not the positive values ​​​​that football itself should bring.

But United fans will defend this worryingly unpredictable style as uninhibited, eccentric.Every time he steps on the court, even the most loyal supporters worry that he's doing something self-destructive again.The flying kick incident can be regarded as a watershed.

Since then, Cantona has evolved further. He has become low-key and restrained on the court, but his power remains, and he has even truly become the key to Manchester United's victory or defeat.

And after his return, he brought Manchester United consecutive league championships and FA Cup championships, which made people fully admire him under his super power.

This process just fits the great development wave of the Premier League.As the Premier League's popularity and audience engagement have increased, so have the wonderful stories of the Premier League, and Cantona has been integrated into many of these stories.

Cantona has become part of the legend.Cantona's journey from disturbing foreigner to Premier League darling has already been completed.

He was exactly what was needed at the time—obvious talent, obvious flaws.And because of his unique identity, Cantona became a catalyst for the formation of good relations between British football and other European countries. He also helped British football become a modern representative of top football.

Although he did not win the Champions League in the end, even though he has never won any Golden Globe Awards, these did not prevent him from becoming a Premier League legend and being elected as the Premier League's best foreign aid for 10 years and 20 years.His charm is uncontrollable, he has attracted countless fans fanatically to him, chasing his news, rushing to buy tickets to the stadium to enjoy his demeanor, eager to learn everything about him.

British journalist Koman said, "Cantona is such a person, most of us are conquered by him and follow in his footsteps."

Countless fans love him for that. The "King" is crowned because of his kingly arrogance.

When Manchester United ushered in his return from the expiration of the 10-month suspension, it was almost like a football king joining in. The grand welcome ceremony fully explained his popularity.

The overwhelming coverage made the whole incident the first media frenzy of the Premier League era.

His comeback is not only in the commercials that hype the return of the king, but also in the stadium.The playbook was the given: comeback—fit into the game perfectly—done—championship.

Perhaps, football itself is the perfect interpretation of Cantona: a story of redemption, from the redemption of others to self-salvation, even though he once left football, but in the end football is his conversion.

In other words, this is a perfect inspirational story: stay true to yourself, train hard, fight bravely, persevere, and success will follow.

Of course, this is a story of conquest: he came across the sea, he was aggressive, he conquered his opponents, he became king.

(End of this chapter)