Eric Cantona
Cantona is often regarded as having played a key role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing force and he enjoys iconic status at the club. He wore the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by George Best and Bryan Robson, and subsequently worn by David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as “King Eric“, and was voted as Manchester United’s greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. Set against his footballing achievements was a poor disciplinary record throughout his career, including a conviction for assault on a fan in 1995.
Mass media
In 1992, Cantona endorsed two video games, Eric Cantona Football Challenge and Eric Cantona Football Challenge: Goal! 2.
He focused his later career mostly as an actor in French cinema. In the late 1990s, he accepted a role as a French ambassador in the English film Elizabeth (1998). In 2002 he directed a short film, Apporte-moi ton amour. He guest-starred as a mysterious barroom philosopher in independent British film Jack Says, released to DVD in September 2008. He co-starred as director Thierry Grimandi in French Film (2009), and is co-producer and a lead actor in Ken Loach’s Palme D’or nominated film Looking for Eric (2009).
Since his retirement from professional football, Cantona has appeared in numerous European television advertisements, especially for sportswear company Nike. Cantona made cameos in two commercials, one starred the Brazil national team playing football in an airport, and the other involved the national teams of Brazil and Portugal, respectively.
In a worldwide advertising campaign during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup, he starred as the organiser of “underground” games, (branded by Nike as “Scorpion KO”) between footballers, such as Thierry Henry, Hidetoshi Nakata, Francesco Totti, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Luís Figo. In an earlier UK Nike commercial, he appeared playing “amateur” football on Hackney Marshes with other stars including Ian Wright, David Seaman, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler. In a Nike campaign in the advance of the 2006 World Cup, Cantona appears as the lead spokesman for the Joga Bonito organization, an association attempting to eliminate acting and fake play from football. He also starred in a Eurostar commercial in 1996, and an Irish EuroMillions advertisement in 2004. In 2009, he featured in a British television advertisement for a new model of the Renault Laguna.
In 2007, he performed a spoken-word role on the album La mécanique du cœur, by French rock band Dionysos.
Beach football
Shortly after his departure from Manchester United, Cantona became captain of the French national beach football team. Cantona has continued his interest in beach football games in southern Asia and at the Inaugural Kronenbourg Beach Soccer in 2002, in the city of Brighton. He managed the French team which won the inaugural FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2005 in Rio de Janeiro. He also coached the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup French national team, which finished in third place. In the 2007 World Cup Cantona was again successful, taking France to fourth place. The Cup was held in France for the first time in the 2008 World Cup; however, Cantona was unable to make the top four after losing to Italy in the quarter finals.
Return to football in 2011
The New York Cosmos announced the Frenchman’s return to football as their Director of Soccer on 18 January 2011. On arrival, Cantona described his role to the press as to help Cosmos “regain the number one position in the United States and then…to become one of the best clubs in the world over the coming years.“
Political views
Cantona called for a social revolution against the banks and encouraged customers of the major retail banks to withdraw their money on 7 December 2010 in protest at the global financial crisis. This proposal then became the base for an online campaign calling for a bank run.
In January 2012, Cantona began trying to gather the 500 signatures from elected officials necessary for a bid for the French presidential election, in order to draw support for the homeless charity and campaign group Emmaus.
In June 2012, he signed a petition for the release of Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak – imprisoned without conviction by Israel since July 2009.
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