Assisten Pelatih Manchester United (MU) Carlos Queiroz yang dikabarkan semakin dekat untuk melatih tim nasional Portugal sepertinya akan digantikan oleh mantan punggawa Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona.

Kabar ini dilansir oleh salah satu media ternama di Inggris, Sunday Express. Seperti dikatakan teman dekatnya, Semenjak pensiun 11 tahun lalu, pemain yang dikenal temperamen ini, banyak beraktifitas dengan menyutradarai film dan terlibat di sepakbola pantai. Namun Eric Cantona ingin sekali melatih tim sepakbola konvensional.

Apalagi kalau dia menjadi asisten pelatih, Eric akan sangat gembira. Eric Cantona sempat mengatakan tidak akan kembali ke Old Trafford apabila Malcolm Glazer, masih menjadi pemilik MU. Tapi rupa-rupanya dia akan melanggar pernyataannya sendiri. Jadi gimana pak Eric, kalau Oom Queiroz jadi melatih timnas Portugal, mau jadi assisten Opa Alex nich?

Đó có lẽ là một bước thụt lùi trong sự nghiệp diễn xuất, khi Cantona phải vào vai một ông Vua của vương quốc Anh trong đoạn film quảng cáo cho một công ty cá cược.

Không ai phù hợp với vai diễn đó hơn ông, cựu danh thủ Pháp nổi tiếng thằng tính này ngồi tạm xuống ngai vàng tại quảng trường London's Trafalgar, và nói về nỗi thất vọng của mình khi đội tuyển Anh không vượt qua được vòng loại để giành vé đến Áo và Thụy Sỹ mùa hè này.

Ông đùa rằng nếu có cơ hội dẫn dắt đội tuyển Anh, thì ông đã có thể giúp Tam Sư chấm dứt cơn khát danh hiệu suốt 42 năm, và không quên bày tỏ sự quan tâm của mình với công việc chèo lái con thuyền Man United.

''Trong tương lai gần, có thể tôi sẽ dẫn dắt đội tuyển Anh và họ sẽ có cơ hội để làm nên điều gì đó,'' ông nói. ''Trước hết tôi muốn là nhà cầm quân của United, nếu có thể, và sau đó mới là đội tuyển Anh. Với United, chắc chắn tôi sẽ gặt hái được rất nhiều danh hiệu.''

''United là một trong những câu lạc bộ lớn nhất trên thế giới, và vinh quang chiến thắng được họ nối tiếp từ thế hệ này qua thế hệ khác.''

(Theo MUSVN)

 Pentru cei care au trăit bucuria să'l vadă jucînd, Eric Cantona este sinonimul măiestriei finale şi în Biserica de clorofilă a lumii, puţini au mai rămas cei care ne aduc aminte de marele talent francez de la Manchester. Din cînd în cînd, cînd sufletele noastre ostoite de suferinţă ridică rugăciuni înlăcrimate spre cer, Dumnezeu mai dăruieşte cîte unui muritor, în Biserica de clorofilă a lumii, cîte un bob de talent care ridică şi însufleţeşte ovalurile de beton. Dar asta se întâmplă din ce în ce mai rar...

Gazeta Sporturilor a făcut un clasament al celor mai frumoase reuşite fotbalistice şi al momentelor care au acompaniat aceste goluri, sub titlul "Fotbalul Spectacol". Pe primul loc, ca o confirmare dreaptă şi aşteptată şi poate, ca o revanşă faţă de anvergura măiestriei sale, Cantona a urcat pe primul loc. Vă învit să'l vedeţi şi să vă bucuraţi. Francezul minune al unei lumi în declin sau puru şi simplu... Cantona!

Pure Gallic arrogance.

Ob Tardelliju pa je tu še cel kup drugih izvirnih slavljencev.

Že nekaj časa nazaj se je na internetu pojavila lestvica Top 50 nogometnih dresov vseh časov.

V resnici je danes vse to zelo pomemben del vrhunskega profesionalnega športa, v tem primeru nogometa. Tako kot so nepogrešljiv del te igre tudi dostikrat odvečna neskončna preigravanja brazilskih mojstrov, pijančevanja in pretepi angleških reprezentantov, ovratnik a la Eric Cantona, udarec z glavo a la Zinedine Zidane, šmarnogorski zemljiški spor a la Srečko in Zlatko in izjave tipa 'Fudbal je moja kruha!', 'Ta noč ni bila naš dan!' ali 'Pozdravil bi svoje starše, predvsem očeta in mamo!'

Del nogometa so tudi vse tiste zgodbice, ki s samim nogometom nimajo kaj dosti opraviti. Recimo zgodbica o Edmundu in karnevalu. Brazilski napadalec Edmundo, ki je v sezoni 1998/1999 igral za Fiorentino, je imel namreč v takratni pogodbi zapisano, da mu mora klub v času znamenitega brazilskega karnevala dopustiti odhod na rajanje v Rio. In Edmundo se je šel maškarade, klub pa je medtem doživel nekaj zaporednih porazov. Ampak le po tem se Edmunda in takratne Fiorentine danes še spominjamo.

»Ko igra za raju i zanemaruje taktiku, završiće karieru u nižerazrednom Vratniku!« se glasi znani verz Zabranjenog pušenja in še kako drži, a hkrati se ta ista raja navdušuje prav nad tistim, kar ni neposredno povezano s taktiko in nestrpno čaka ravno tisto potezo preveč, ki so jo nogometni strokovnjaki tako radi očitali vsem balkanskim fuzbalerjem stare šole.

Zgodovina nogometa je pač sestavljena iz potez, ki so bile kratko malo poteze preveč. Če jih ne bi bilo, bi Maradona proti Angležem leta 1986, ko je dobil žogo na sredini igrišča, lepo podal prvemu prostemu soigralcu, ne pa da je naredil še približno 27 nadaljnih, v taktikčnem smislu prepovedanih potez, in zabil naj gol vseh časov.

In taktični dogovor pred povratno tekmo Slovenije z Ukrajino v dodatnih kvalifikacijah najbrž ni bil, da Ačimović strelja s polovice igrišča, ampak mu je Katanec najbrž svetoval, naj stopi na žogo in umiri igro.

Na največjo žalost ljubiteljev nogometa pa je taktika še kako učinkovita zadeva in omogoča vselej nove in nove uspehe taktično discipliniranih ekip Italije in Nemčije, v katerih igri je nepredvidljivo le to, kolikokrat bo Gennaro Gattuso popizdil oziroma kolikokrat bo moral Michael Ballack po strelu z glavo popravljati svojo frizuro. Vse ostalo je pač živi dolgčas in če bi nogomet igrali le omenjeni državi, ga najbrž ne bi gledal nihče.

Tako pa ga gleda vsaj 3 milijarde ljudi in čaka na to, da bo videlo Ronaldihna, ki bo preigral sedem igralcev, se ustavil, da bo lahko tistega najbolj vztrajnega še dodatno osmešil, nato pa poskušal lobati golmana, zgrešil, pokazal svoje Duško dugouško zobovje in stekel nazaj po žogo, da poskusi znova.

Vrhunski nogomet je namreč v svoji biti potujoči cirkus, ne glede na uradniško-birokratsko podobo njegovih šefov, ki na sedežih FIFE in UEFE obračajo milijone in serjejo o fairplayu. Cirkus pa ne more brez klovnov. Eni so to zgolj po svojem videzu (Peter Crouch in Wayne Rooney bi bila zmagovalna kombinacija za vse svetovne cirkuške odre) drugi po obnašanju (spisek je tu predolg, da bi jih našteval), a brez teh klovnov žal ne gre.

Zato, če se vrnemo k zgodbi iz začetka, je tudi najbolj neumno pravilo v zgodovini omenjenih FIFE in UEFE prav to, da igralec, ki sleče dres pri proslavljanju zadetka, prejme rumeni karton.

Mi na Fužinah bi rekli: »Alo Blatteru! Pa nije ti to opera!«

The Magnificent 7 United merupakan mitos di "theater of dream" bahwa seorang penyandang nomor 7 dipunggungnya diharapkan akan membawa roh permainan bagi Manchester United. ibarat sebuah orchestra mereka adalah pembawa irama permainan bak seorang composer.

tanggung jawab, tempramental, tuntutan supporter, ketenaran, popularitas, skill yang luar biasa, kemewahan, uang harta, ketampanan, wanita, cidera, alkohol, hedonisme, menjadi tantangantersendiri bagi mereka untuk menjadi from zero to hero maupun sebaliknya.

best, coppel, robson, "king" cantona, becks, dan ronaldo, telah menyandangnya, dan keajaiban "7" menjadi seperti kutukan dan takdir milik mereka.

berikut profil mereka yang berhasil dihimpun,

7. George Best

Best termasuk legendaris MU, sebuah klub selain besar dan ternama, bukan sekarang saja tetapi dari dulu MU terkenal profesionalisme, idealisme, sepakbola indah sekaligus bergelimangan uangnya. Maka tak heran ada semacam kesombongan dan keangkuhan jika pemain-pemain bisa bergabung di sana. Namun budaya Barat, semua itu sah sah saja, karena untuk berpredikat seperti itu orang harus bekerja keras terlebih dahulu.

George Best mengawali karir di MU dalam umur yang sangat muda,17 tahun, tahun 1963 seperti Wayne Rooney, bintang muda Inggeris sekarang ini dan kini berada di MU. Bakat besar, piawai mengolah bola, ditambah ketampanan wajahnya, maka Best langsung menjadi idola waktu itu. Berkat permainannya yang langsung mengangkat pamor MU memenangi Liga Premier, setelah menunggu waktu delapan tahun. Karena sezaman dengan kelompok musik ternama The Beatles dari kota Liverpool yang mendunia, ia dijuluki The Fifth Beatle.

Sayang, Best tak kuat memikul ketenaran dan terlibat alkohol dan terus menjadi semacam ketergantungan. Karir sepakbolanya cepat merosot karena sudah ketagihan pula dengan wanita serta kegemaran glamour yang cepat menghabiskan uang. Ketika dididepak dari MU, karir selanjutnya Best hanya bermain di klub-klub tak ternama. Seperti Stockport Country, Los Angeles Azstecs, Cork Celtic, Fulham, Fort Laudardale Strikers, Hibernian, San Jose Earthquakes, dan terakhir di Bournemouth. Menggantung sepatu pada usia sangat muda, 26 tahun.

Jalan hidupnya menjadi amburadul serta berusaha di jalur bisnis juga gagal total. Kegemaran buruknya terus berlanjut, sehingga pelan-pelan merusak organ-organ vital tubuhnya. Sehingga memerlukan transplatasi hati, meski melalui sebuah operasi sukses di tahun 2002. Namun organ bantuan ini hanya bisa berfungsi secara baik tiga tahun saja, karena tidak didukung oleh organ-organ vital yang lain yang juga sudah tergerus erosi air alkohol. Ia meninggal dengan meninggalkan satu anak, serta dua isteri dengan status cerai.

7. Steve Coppell

Karir United Steve Coppell terbagi dalam 2 tahapan besar. Tahap pertama adalah pemain muda berprospek cerah pada era manajer Tommy Docherty yang ahli dalam mendribble bola melewati lawan, berkelit dari lawan dengan anggun dan akurasi tinggi. Kemudian di era manajer Dave Sexton yang menjadi tonggak perubahan peran pemain muda cerdik kelahiran Liverpool ini. Penetrasi dan tusukannya -yang khas dan sangat berperan dalam mengangkat Red Devils dari mimpi buruk bermain di Divisi Dua – berganti menjadi gelandang kanan tengah yang berfungsi sebagai pengatur serangan. Steve Coppell dengan peran barunya ini menjadi pemain yang sangat berharga bagi tim besutan Sexton, yang hampir saja menjuarai liga dan FA Cup walaupun gagal mengangkat piala satupun juga, tapi permainan Coppell di peran barunya tidak terlalu memuaskan bagi fans seperti yang dulu.

Saat didatangkan United dari Tranmere, Coppell adalah pemain muda minim pengalaman. Transfernya sebesar 40.000 pounds dan tambahan 20.000 pounds bila ia dapat tampil minimal 20 kali! – debut Coppell adalah menggantikan Willie Morgan saat pertandingan dengan Cardiff City, 11 pertandingan menjelang berakhirnya musim Divisi Dua. Manchester United diprediksi akan menang mudah tapi setelah 1 jam belum ada gol sama sekali dan fans mulai gelisah. Tiga puluh menit kemudian United keluar sebagai pemenang dengan hasil 4-0 dan Coppell mencetak 2 gol di debutnya.

Setelah itu Steve selalu terpilih sebagai starter di posisi tersebut akhir musim dan musim-musim sesudahnya ia selalu pemain utama sampai terakhir cedera lutut parah – yang didapatkannya saat memperkuat timnas Inggris pada November 1981 – memaksa Coppell untuk pensiun pada usia 28 tahun, suatu keputusan berat yang diambil setelah tiga kali operasi dan frustasi berkepanjangan.

Salah satu kemungkinan kenapa terjadi penurunan pada performa Coppell dibandingkan performa puncaknya pada musim 1975/76 dan 1976/77 – dimana saat 2 musim tersebut ia dan Gordon Hill membentuk tandem sayap yang menakutkan – dikarenakan para pemain bertahan lawan mulai bisa meraba dan membaca cara mengatasinya. Mereka akan menjatuhkannya, sehingga membuat dirinya sulit melewati lawan, yang akhirnya mengurangi efektifitas Coppell. Ini sepertinya berkaitan dengan cara Steve melakukan penetrasi.

Di peran barunya saat era Sexton, Steve Coppell bermain sebanyak 4 musim, dimana determinasi, efektifitas dan kontribusi untuk keseluruhan permainan tim sangat luar biasa. Dan bila dikatakan dalam peran barunya, permainannya yang dulu menjadi jarang terlihat tapi ada waktu-waktu tertentu dimana ia melakukan serangan yang brillian dan mencetak gol penting.

Karir internasional Steve juga berkembang baik, banyak yang melihatnya seperti Bobby Charlton dalam hal integritas dan sportivitas. Dilengkapi dengan otak yang encer, berbagai kualitas ini membantu Steve – yang pernah menjabat sebagai ketua Asosiasi Pemain Profesional – mudah untuk bekerja sebagai manajer dan terbukti ia tidak perlu waktu lama untuk sukses sebagai manajer bersama Crystal Palace.

Tidak bisa terhindarkan, sukses Coppell bersama Crystal Palace menguatkan prediksi bahwa suatu hari nanti ia akan menduduki kursi manajer Old Trafford, dan bahkan ketika ia mundur sebagai manajer dari Selhurst Park menyusul degradasi pada tahun 1993 tidak pernah benar-benar menghilangkan prediksi tersebut. Tetapi kegagalannya mengatasi stress saat menangani Manchester City – dimana ia mundur dari Maine Road hanya dalam 33 hari menjabat sebagai manajer – membuat kesempatan Steve Coppell menangani Manchester United di masa depan terlihat semakin tipis. Namun dengan prestasi baik Steve Coppel bersama Reading musim 2006/07 ini, kemungkinan masih bisa membuatnya sebagai The Next Gaffer in Thearter of Dreams.

7. Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson, OBE adalah seorang legenda hidup sepakbola Inggris. Dia lahir pada 11 Januari 1957 di sebuah kota di Witton Gilbert, County Durham. Kemudian keluarganya pindah ke Chester-le-Street yang tidak jauh dari tempat kelahirannya pada saat dia berusia 6 tahun.

Robson memulai karir sepakbolanya pada tahun 1975 di klub West Bromwich Albion dengan menjadi bek kiri dan kemudian berubah menjadi pemain tengah. Debutnya terjadi ketika melawan York City di tahun yang sama. Di tahun berikutnya, Robson telah menjadi andalan di klubnya dan telah diakui sebagai salah satu pemain Inggris papan atas.

Pada tahun 1979, ia telah menjadi kapten pada klubnya. Kemudian memulai debutnya di tim Three Lions pada bulan Februari 1980 dengan menghadapi Republik Irlandia pada babak kualifikasi Eropa yang berakhir dengan kemenangan Inggris 2-0.

Meskipun Robson telah menjadi pemain tengah terbaik England dengan penampilannya yang memukau di West Bromwich, tetapi tetap saja pada saat itu banyak rumors yang menyatakan bahwa harga pembelian Bryan Robson oleh Ron Atkinson (pelatih United saat itu) sangat mahal. Dan tentu saja penjualannya memberikan pemasukan yang sangat banyak kepada klub tempatnya terdahulu (West Brom). Kemudian hal ini sering menjadi sebuah pertanyaan bagi public sepakbola Inggris. Tetapi Ron Atkinson berpendapat bahwa ia tidak akan rugi mengeluarkan uang berapapun jumlahnya untuk mendapatkan seorang Robson. Pada saat itu ia mengatakan “Sekarang kita telah mempunyai seseorang yang akan menjadi jenderal lapangan tengah United yang tidak takut untuk berduel dengan setiap lawan”.

Robbo adalah salah satu julukannya, dimana dia selalu bermain bak serigala yang tidak takut menghadapi setiap lawan. Itu adalah tipe bermain sang “Captain Marvel” julukannya selain Robbo dimana dia juga selalu bersemangat untuk memberikan kontribusi terbaik buat klub yang dibelanya. Julukan “Captain Marvel” didapatnya ketika bermain di Man United, yang telah membelinya dengan rekor pembelian £1.7 juta pada bulan Oktober 1981.

Dan ternyata ia melakukannya debutnya di United dengan baik. Dengan awal yang sangat tangguh, Bryan Robson menjadi kekuatan yang sangat dominan di tim ini. Ia kemudian mengambil alih posisi kapten kesebelasan baik di klubnya maupun di negaranya dari Ray Wilkins. Ia menggerakkan pertahanan seperti mesin yang terus berputar, mengatur penyerangan, dan lain-lain, pada intinya ia telah menjadi motivator terbaik bagi klub dan negaranya. Bahkan pada puncaknya pun, permainannya tidak pernah terlihat lemah. Tackling, passing, shooting, dan headingnya sangat baik. Selain itu kekuatan dan kecepatannya pun sangat tinggi serta caranya membaca pertandingan pun patut diacungin jempol. Permainannya di Man United tidak jauh berbeda ketika masih di klub terdahulunya.

Tetapi Bryan juga sering bermasalah dengan cedera. Pada saat ia masih di West Brom, ia pernah terkena cedera patah kaki 3 kali dalam kurun waktu 12 bulan. Setelah pindah ke Man United, ia sempet tidak produktif untuk mencetak gol, dan hal ini seringkali terjadi pada pertandingan yang penting untuk Man United dan tim nasional Inggris. Orang-orang sering menyalahkannya jika berbuat kesalahan (karena nilai transfernya yang sangat mahal). Didalam kasus Bryan ini, kritikus sering menulis berita negatif terhadap dirinya, tetapi jika orang lain yang melakukannya, maka akan dianggap positif, dan hal ini jelas-jelas tidak masuk akal.

Setelah menjalani musim yang fantastis, Bryan Robson kemudian pindah dari Man United menuju Middlesbrough dengan menjadi pemain merangkap manajer di klub yang sedang berjuang naik ke divisi utama pada tahun 1994. Kemudian Man United menghadapi masa depannya dengan keraguan tanpa seorang Robson, orang yang telah memenangkan FA Cup 3 kali dalam sejarah. Ada satu kejadian lucu, dimana ada sedikit persamaan julukan antara Robson yang dipanggil “Robbo” dengan Middlesbrough yand dijuluki “Boro”.

Banyak dari fans United yang berharap suatu saat nanti dia bisa kembali ke United sebagai manajer. Tapi banyak juga yang meragukannya, setelah melihat Robson tidak mampu menangani Middlesbrough sehingga harus terdegradasi pada tahun 2001. Ironisnya, yang menggantikan tempatnya adalah mantan asisten Sir Alex Ferguson yaitu Steve Mc Claren. Pada tahun 2004, dia mulai melatih klub yang pertama kali membesarkannya sebagai pemain. Tapi setelah menjalani 2 musim bersama West Bromwich Albion, dia akhirnya mengundurkan diri pada tahun 2006 setelah gagal menghindari klubnya dari jurang degradasi.

7. Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona yang merupakan salah satu dari ‘The Magnificent Seven’ dan jasanya sebagai ‘juru selamat’ bagi klub The Red Devils yang sukses dibawanya ke era kejayaan. Pemain depan flamboyan asal Perancis ini sendiri juga akhirnya menemukan ‘rumah’ di klub MU di bawah asuhan Sir Alex Ferguson yang mampu memahami dirinya dan mengoptimalkan kemampuannya di lapangan. Tidak berlebihan kalau sampai kini Eric Cantona sering diidentikkan dengan Manchester United. Tapi itu masih belum terjadi, paling tidak sampai berakhirnya musim 1991/92 dimana Leeds United berhasil juara Liga Inggris musim itu.

Kejayaan Manchester United berawal dari sebuah telepon dari presiden Leeds United kepada Martin Edwards (presiden komisaris MU saat itu) yang ingin menanyakan apakah MU berminat menjual Denis Irwin. Permintaan Leeds itu langsung ditolak tetapi pembicaraan itu tidak berhenti sampai disana karena ada secarik kertas dari Fergie kepadanya yang meminta untuk menanyakan tentang kemungkinan membeli Eric Cantona. Martin Edwards cukup kaget karena Eric Cantona merupakan salah satu kunci sukses Leeds United meraih title juara Liga Inggris musim 1991/92. Ternyata menambah kekagetan Martin Edwards, Howard Wilkinson (manajer Leeds) setuju menjualnya dan musim 1992/93, Eric Cantona resmi pindah dari Leeds United ke Manchester United hanya dengan biaya transfer sebesar 1.2 juta pounds. Waktu akan segera membuktikan ini adalah pembelian terbaik Sir Alex Ferguson, yang seperti kata Fergie, Eric Cantona adalah ‘the missing link’ yang selama ini dinantikannya.

Sampai kini alasan Leeds United bersedia menjual salah satu aset terbaiknya Eric Cantona ke rival mereka hanya seharga 1.2 juta pounds masih menjadi sebuah misteri. Walaupun banyak yang mengatakan bahwa pembelian Eric Cantona merupakan sebuah kesalahan besar karena temperamen Cantona yang gampang meledak, tapi Fergie tidak peduli dan demikian juga dengan kebanyakan fans United. Faktanya adalah dengan adanya Cantona berarti MU memiliki salah satu pemain paling berbakat di dunia yang mempunyai kemampuan paling komplet dalam hal merobek gawang lawan. Dan dalam hal ini penilaian Fergie sekali lagi terbukti benar.

Siapa yang tidak bergetar mengingat sosok Eric Cantona yang berdiri dengan penuh percaya diri di panggung Old Trafford dengan kerah baju diberdirikan, sebuah trend yang mungkin hanya akan selalu menjadi miliknya pribadi. Dengan imajinasi dan determinasinya, Eric Cantona tidak memerlukan waktu lama untuk membuat seluruh publik Old Trafford jatuh hati padanya. Cantona memberi dimensi lain pada permainan United yang akhirnya mengakhiri penantian panjang mereka dengan memenangkan title juara EPL pada musim itu juga (1992/93), dan diikuti dengan “double” juara EPL dan FA Cup di musim berikutnya (1993/94).

Kejadian di Selhurst Park bulan Januari 1995 saat pertandingan tandang Crystal Palace membuyarkan ambisi MU untuk mendapatkan juara EPL tiga kali berturut di musim 1995/96. Akibat “tendangan kungfu” Cantona pada fans lawan yang mengejeknya, ia harus rela mendapatkan hukuman dilarang tampil selama 8 bulan. Hampir saja MU kehilangan Cantona karenanya tetapi sentuhan emas Sir Alex Ferguson akhirnya sukses meyakinkannya untuk tetap bertahan menghadapi cobaan sulit ini. Hasilnya adalah pada musim 1995/96, Eric Cantona melakukan comeback saat pertandingan melawan Liverpool dan langsung mencetak gol lewat titik penalti. Tidak itu saja comeback Eric Cantona itu juga disertai dengan ban kapten di tangannya, ya Fergie resmi menunjuk Cantona sebagai kapten baru pasukannya. Hasilnya? MU mengulang “double” dengan memenangkan juara EPL mengandaskan ambisi Newcastle dan juga juara FA Cup berkat gol cantik di menit-menit akhir oleh……… Eric ‘The King’ Cantona. Benar-benar ‘Come Back With A Bang ala The King’.

Tanpa mengesampingkan sisi gelap Cantona yang pernah mencoreng karir sepakbolanya, akan tetapi gaya sepakbola Cantona sangat unik. Acap kali dia terlihat tidak peduli di saat rekan-rekannya sedang berjibaku di lapangan, tetapi tanpa terduga Cantona bisa mendapatkan posisi yang sangat bagus dan memulai kreasinya dengan berbagai operan jitu, mengatur serangan-serangan berbahaya hampir dengan penuh kesempurnaan bak seorang pemimpin orkestra. Selain seni kreasi nan indah, Cantona juga ditunjang dengan fisik yang atletis dan kuat sehingga seringkali ia mampu mengusir pemain bertahan lawan hanya dengan menggerakkan bahunya.

Walaupun demikian, pesona Eric Cantona yang paling mengesankan adalah berbagai gol indahnya. Ada yang disebut dengan istilah ‘rapier’ (gol yang berasal dari tendangan jarak dekat yang dilakukan dengan sangat elegan) atau ‘bludgeon’ (gol yang berasal dari tendangan keras jarak jauh yang juga salah satu spesialisasi Eric), tapi gol apapun hasilnya sama saja – keindahan tanpa cacat. Dan tidak mengherankan kalau dia mendapatkan penghargaan PFA Player of The Year 1994 dan Football Writers Player of The Year 1996, yang merupakan pengakuan untuk kemampuan dan juga persona seorang Eric Cantona. Bahkan Eric Cantona tercatat sebagai pemain asing pertama yang mendapatkan penghargaan sebagai pemain terbaik yang sekaligus membuka pintu gerbang bagi banyak pemain Perancis lainnya untuk berlaga di Liga Primer.

Memasuki awal musim 1996/97, Eric Cantona yang sudah berusia 31 tahun terlihat mengalami penurunan performa untuk pertama kalinya! Walaupun akhirnya membaik dan MU kembali membuka peluang untuk menjuarai EPL musim itu. Akan tetapi kegagalan Cantona memberi kontribusi positif untuk timnya yang mengalami kekalahan di semifinal UCL menjadi peringatan pada seluruh fansnya akan kemungkinan berakhirnya era The King Cantona dan memang demikianlah adanya. Seminggu setelah MU memastikan title juara EPL, Eric Cantona mengagetkan para fans dengan mengumumkan rencananya untuk pensiun. Mungkin suatu tindakan yang logis karena yang paling tidak diinginkan seorang Cantona adalah performanya perlahan tapi pasti menurun seiring bertambahnya usia; ia ingin datang dan pergi tetap dalam keadaan yang sama yaitu dalam kondisi puncak. Jutaan fans United akhirnya hanya dapat mengucapkan rasa terima kasih dan selamat tinggal sambil meratapi kepergian pemain kesayangan mereka, pemain yang juga sangat berpengaruh dalam perkembangan para pemain muda MU yang nantinya akan terkenal dengan sebutan Class of ’92.

Pengaruh seorang Eric Cantona bahkan masih dapat dilihat dari permainan United saat ini terutama dari pemain-pemain Class of ’92 seperti Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs dkk yang memiliki cara bermain yang berbeda dengan rata-rata pemain Inggris yang sebelumnya kental tradisi Kick & Rush. Selain pemain, para fans juga tidak pernah melupakan The King Cantona, mereka masih sering menyanyikan lagu puja-puji tentang Eric Cantona yang sangat popular yaitu ‘Ooh.. Aah.. Cantona’.

Kalau kita ingat kembali tahun 1992, Eric Cantona saat itu dianggap sebagai pemain yang temperamental dan tidak terkontrol, seorang petualang yang tidak pernah betah bertahan lama di sebuah klub. Tapi betapa salahnya anggapan itu karena bersama Manchester United, sihir Cantona sukses menyilaukan semua orang dan menjadikannya salah satu sosok paling berpengaruh pada persepakbolaan Inggris. LUAR BIASA!

7. David Beckham :

Di Manchester United dia bukan hanya seorang pemain namun sudah menjadi seorang ikon olahraga dunia. Istrinya yang seorang bintang pop dan superbintang gaya hidup di media membawanya menjadi seorang selebriti sepakbola. Deal-deal sponsor komersial yang tiada henti-hentinya didapatkannya itu serta promosi diri, membuatnya dikritik lebih sebagai seorang brand marketing atau merek dagang ketimbang seorang olahragawan.

Pada akhirnya Status selebriti yang dimiliki beckham menjadi ancaman hingga persaingan bahkan bagi klub sepakbola paling popular diplanet ini. Namun hal ini seharusnya tidak menutupi kenyataan ketika dia berseragam merah United, Para pendukung United tidak peduli dengan semuanya itu. Apa yang dia lakukan dilapangan adalah yang menjadi perhatian. Dan Talenta sepakbola ynag dimiliknya tidak dapat disangkal oleh siapapun.

Seorang pengumpan dan pengumpan bola silang yang fantastis, baik jarak jauh maupun dekat dengan variasi serta jarak umpan yang fenomenal. Dan Beckham sebagai Salah satu penendang jarak jauh terbaik didunia, dengan umpan yang memecah pertahanan lawan, dari daerah sayap atau tengah, dan umpan silangnya itu menjadi amunisi mematikan bagi para penyerang United.

Dengan kemampuan tendangan menakutkan yang dimilikinya, dia dapat mencetak gol-gol spektakuler. Sebagai tambahan dia juga seorang pemain yang ulet dan pantang menyerah, berlari tanpa bola dan bergerak tanpa lelah, hingga peluit akhir dibunyikan.

Dia adalah bagian dari jiwa klub dipertengahan tahun 90-an yang mengatakan "Semakin anda membenci kami maka kami akan semakin bersatu dan membuktikan bahwa anda salah".

Orangtuanya memutuskan bahwa dia harus menyelesaikan sekolahnya sehingga baru pada tahun 1991 dia menjadi seorang Trainee, sebelum menandatangani kontrak profesionalnya tahun 1993. Debutnya di united dilakukan sewaktu menjadi pemain pengganti melawan Brighton pada September 1992, namun baru dua tahun kemudian dia mulai bermain menjadi starter sewaktu melawan Galatasaray pada Nov 1994 dimana dia mencetak gol dipertandingan itu.

Beckham tidak lama setelah itu dipinjamkan ke Preston NE untuk lima pertandingan untuk memperoleh pengalaman bertanding di tim utama dan pada bulan April 1995, dia membuat debut penuh pertamanya di Liga sewaktu melawan Leeds United di Old Trafford.

Penampilan Beckham semakin menjanjikan dimusim 1996 sebagai salah satu pemain andalan Fergie dengan mengumumkan kedatangan dirinya melalui gol yang dicetak sejauh 30 yard di Aston Villa. Penjualan Andrei Kanchelskis dan kepercayaan manajer kepadanya memberikan Beckham peluang.

Dia benar-benar menjadi berita utama dimusim 1996-1997 karena Gol yang dicetaknya sewaktu melawan Wimbledon, yang merupakan gol terbaik musim itu, sejauh 55 yard dari garis tengah lapangan di hari pembuka. Sejak saat itu Media tidak pernah puas memberitakannya. Setelah penampilannya yang hebat dimusim itu, menambah reputasi melalui gol spektakuler dari jarak jauh dan dengan pacarnya yang merupakan salah seorang anggota Spice Girls, semuanya melengkapi David Beckham sebagai selebriti nasional.

Dia membantu United memperoleh gelar lagi ditahun 1997 dan tidak lama itu dia dipanggil masuk ke tim nasional inggris. Setelah akhir yang mengecewakan dimusim 1998 dimana United kehilangan gelar juaranya, Beckham kembali mendapatkan mimpi buruk sewaktu putaran final Piala Dunia di Prancis tahun 1998. meskipun dia mencetak gol yang brilian sewaktu melawan Kolombia, dia dikeluarkan pada pertandingan melawan Argentina di putaran kedua karena dengan sengaja menendang Diego Simeone.

Sebuah kartu kuning sebenarnya hukuman yang cocok untuknya namun wasit mengeluarkan kartu merah. Inggris bermain dengan 10 orang pemain dan imbang 2-2, kemudian kalah dalam adu pinalti. Media dan para pendukung klub rival United menyalahkannya atas tersingkirnya Inggris, dengan mengatakan bahwa, dengan sepuluh orang pemain dia telah memupus harapan mereka untuk memenangi pertandingan itu dan keseluruhan turnamen. Hingga Pemain tengah itu sempat menjadi figure nasional yang paling dibenci di Inggris.

Musim 1998-1999 dimulai dengan keraguan atas masa depannya di persepakbolaan Inggris dan setiap kali dia memegang bola pasti selalu di teriaki oleh pendukung lawan. Pada masa-masa gelap ini, titik terang hanya datang dari Klub dan para pendukung yang merespon teriakan para pendukung lawan itu dengan memberikan dukungan tanpa henti. Karakter yang kuat dalam dirinya dibutuhkan untuk menghadapi cemoohan itu dan Beckham menunjukkan karakternya itu. Neraka berubah menjadi surga ketika dia menasbihkan diri sebagai salah satu pemain terbaik dunia sewaktu membawa united meraih gelar treble. Piala dunia 1998 yang terus menghantuinya, akhirnya menghilang dengan sendirinya dan menjadikan Beckham sebagai pesepakbola hebat seperti yang selalu dia inginkan.

Image yang tak terlupakan yaitu pada menit-menit akhir final Liga Champions, dimana sepanjang pertandingan United hampir putus asa menyamakan kedudukan, namun beckham berlari untuk mengambil tendangan sudut dan akhirnya dapat diselesaikan oleh sherringham dan Solskjaer. Ketika beckham menari-nari dilapangan dengan trofi liga championnya di Nou Camp saat itu pula dia telah membayar kesalahan sebleumnya dengan sempurna.

Dimusim 1999-2000 merupakan musim yang campur-aduk bagi beckham, dia baru bermain lebih baik setelah bulan February di musim itu. Perhatian dan kritikan dari media bermunculan karena kurangnya gol maupun assist yang diberikan dan itu mencapai puncaknya hanya sebelum bertemu Leeds dibulan February yang merupakan partai krusial. Beckham pernah tidak mengikuti satu sesi latihan, berargumen dengan Ferguson dan sempat di keluarkan dari tim.

Musim 2000-2001 dimulai secara brilian oleh Beckham. Dia berada di penampilan puncak dan tidak dapan berhenti mencetak gol. Gol hebat sewaktu melawan Bradford, tendangan bebas melawan Ipswich, WestHam, Leeds, Coventry dan sewaktu derby melawan Manchester City. Namun putaran kedua musim itu dia bermain mengecewakan, bermain jauh dibawah standarnya dan gagal untuk mencapai performa puncaknya lagi, khususnya dikancah eropa.

Obsesi media kepadanya meningkat dengan di luncurkannya buku pribadinya, documentary special ITV, dan iklannya bersama Adidas dan Pepsi. Pada perjalanannya ke timur jauh, dia bertemu ribuan fans yang berteriak histeris kepadanya hampir seperti the Beatles.

Pencapaian besar dirinya yaitu ketika ditunjuk sebagai kapten Inggris oleh Sven Goran Eriksson pada januari 2001. Hal itu adalah peran Beckham yang dijalankan dengan kebanggaan serta antusiasme dan itu ditunjukkan dengan penampilannya yang sterus mencetak gol bagi timnya. Dia melesakkan bola kegawang Finlandia di Anfield pada bulan Maret, kemudian berpenampilan kembali dengan gaya Mohawk,

Tendangan bebas yang mengagumkan sewaktu melawan mexico dibulan Mei kemudian diikuti dengan gol set piecenya melawan yunani pada bulan juni. Pada saat itu inggris ketinggalan 2-1, namun tendangan legendarisnya dimenit akhir menyamakan kedudukan menjadi 2-2, dan membuat inggris secara otomatis lolos langsung ke Korea dan Jepang. Imejnya yang ebrtarung disetiap perebutan bola dan berlari disetiap sudut lapangan selama pertandingan itu akan selalu berada dalam kenangan yang panjang.

Bagi United dia memiliki musim yang hebat yang pernah ada dimusim 2001-2002 ketika jumlah golnya dimusim itu mencapai 16 gol. Gol yang paling spektakuler yaitu sewaktu melawan Deportivo, tendangan sejauh 30 yard, West ham, ketika dia mencetak gol melewati David james dan Tottenham, dimana dia mencetak gol untuk membalikkan keadaan menjadi 5-3. Dia juga mencetak gol dari beberapa tendangan bebas dan mengambil beberapa tendangan pinalti.

Dipertengahan musim sepertinya Beckham kelihatan Lelah dan kurang antusias lagi bermain. Hal itu menyebabkan fergie mengistirahatkannya selama lebih dari sebulan. Dia kembali dengan lebih baik lagi pada tahun baru namun musim itu diakhiri dengan takle yang membaahayakan dari pemain deportivo, Pedro Duscher. Patah tulang metatarsal dikakinya membuat hampir seluruh rakyat inggris panic karena takut beckham akan melewati piala Dunia.

Di piala dunia Korea-Jepang, Beckham mania memenuhi jepang dan dia mencetak gol bersejarah ketika sukses menendang pinalti ke gawang argentina untuk melengkapi dendamnya atas kejadian prancis 98. Dia memimpin inggris hingga perempat final, dimana brazil akhirnya mengakhiri mimpi mereka dengan kekalahan 2-1.

Musim berikutnya, Pada bulan November, Dia mengalami cedera yang membuatnya tidak bermain dan seperti musim sebelumnya, Becks menghuni bangku cadangan untuk jangka waktu yang lama.

Ole Solskjaer mengisi posisi yang ditinggalkannya namun Beckham mulai bermain lagi dibulan januari. Pada bulan februari kejadian besar menimpanya, ketika United dikalahkan Arsenal 2-0, Sir Alex Ferguson menendang sepatu dikamar ganti dan secara tidak sengaja mengenai pelipis Beckham. Kejadian itu menjadi berita besar dan media berspekulasi bahwa kejadian itu akan mengakhiri karirnya di United.

David sangat sakit hati karena dibangkucadangkan saat melawan Madrid dan berbicara kepada agennya untuk mengatakan kepada tim-tim besar di eropa bahwa dia siap untuk pergi dari United. Ketika Becks mencetak gol kegawang Charlton, pertandingan terakhirnya di OT, Dia sepertinya membuat perpisahan kepada para pendukung. Namun dihari-hari berikutnya dia menyatakan bahwa dia tidak akan pergi kemanapun dan masih mencintai Manchester United dimana dia mengoleksi medali kejuaraan lagi.

Namun, hal itu menjadi sebuah taktik. Di awal juni United mengumumkan bahwa dia mencapai kesepakatan dengan Barcelona senilai 23 juta pound, meskipun tahu bahwa dia sedang bernegoisasi dengan Real Madrid.

Seperti diduga jauh sebelumnya, Beckham sudah ingin bermain di Bernabeu dan mereka ingin juga menambah koleksi pemain bintang mereka. Deal dengan Barca tidak pernah dimulai, dan akhirnya United setuju dengan awaran el Real senilai 24,5 juta pound.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Menggeluti sepakbola dengan serius sejak usianya baru menginjak delapan tahun, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro atau yang dikenal dengan Cristiano Ronaldo, langsung memikat para pemilik klub di Portugal. Ia ditarik menjadi anggota klub yunior Andorinha tempat ayahnya bekerja sebagai penyedia perlengkapan.

Pada usia sepuluh tahun, bakat pemain kelahiran 5 Februari 1985 itu sudah tercium banyak klub profesional. Dua klub berebut mendapatkannya, yakni CS Maritimo dan CD Nacional. Maritimo adalah klub yang cukup besar, sayangnya mereka terlambat mendatangkan Ronaldo kecil yang keburu bergabung dengan CD Nacional.

Di klub junior itu, Ronaldo ikut mengantarkan klubnya memenangkan gelar kejuaraan nasional. Ia kemudian diberi kesempatan berlatih selama tiga hari di klub profesional, Sporting Lisbon. Sporting kemudian merekrutnya pada saat Ronaldo masih berusia 14 tahun. Ronaldo bergabung dengan klub yunior Sporting yang berlatih di Alcochete yang dikenal sebagai ‘pabrik sepkbola’ di Portugal.

Ronaldo kemudian terpilih sebagai pemain Timnas Portugal yang mengikuti kejuaraan UEFA U-17. Penampilannya di ajang itulah yang membuat namanya mulai dilirik klub-klub besar dunia. Orang yang pertama kali jatuh cinta pada Ronaldo adalah mantan pelatih Liverpool, Gerard Houllier. Houllier berniat mendatangkan Ronaldo ke Anfield. Tetapi karena usianya masih 16 tahun, manajemen klub memutuskan untuk memberi Ronaldo waktu. Tetapi, tahun 2003, Liverpool justru kalah cepat dari Manchester United yang berhasil memboyongnya ke Old Trafford dengan trnasfer sebesar 12,24 juta pound.

Sir Alex Ferguson, pelatih MU benar-benar terpikat dengan penampilan Ronaldo yang dinilainya sangat dinamis, bisa bermain sebagai gelandang serang, pemain sayap, bahkan, menjadi striker jika dibutuhkan. Kedatangan Ronaldo ke Old Trafford bersamaan dengan kepergian bintang mereka, David Beckham ke Real Madrid. Karena itu, kedatangan Ronaldo disambut gegap gempita, bahkan ia dianugerahi kaos nomor 7, nomor keramat milik Beckham. Dan Ronaldo membuktikan dirinya, bahwa ia pantas memakai nomor itu.

Di Timnas, Ronaldo memulai debutnya Agustus 2003 saat Portugal menghadapi Khazakstan. Ia menyumbang satu-satunya gol Portugal saat mereka dikalahkan Yunani 1-2 di partai pembuka Euro 2004 yang diadakan di negaranya. Ia juga menyumbang satu gol saat mereka mengalahkan Belanda di perempat final. Sayangya ia gagal menyumbang gol di partai final saat negaranya kembali dikalahkan Yunani.

Di babak kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2006 zona Eropa, ia menyumbang 7 gol untuk timnya. Di Jerman, ia menjadi pilihan utama pelatih Portugal Luis Felipe Scolari. Ronaldo mencetak gol pertamanya di Piala Dunia dari titik putih saat mereka mengalahkan Iran. Portugal kemudian bertemu Inggris di babak perempat final. Ia bertemu dengan teman-temannya sesama MU, terutama sahabatnya Wayne Rooney. Celakanya, Ronaldo malah berseteru dengan Rooney saat menjatuhkan teman setimnya, Ricardo Carvalho. Ronaldo dituduh memprovokasi wasit untuk memberi kartu merah kepada Rooney, hubungannya merenggang.

Ronaldo mencetak gol terakhir saat pertandingan itu harus diakhiri dengan adu penalti. Dan setelah itu, hubungannya dengan MU makin merenggang. Berkali-kali ia menyatakan keinginannya untuk hijrah ke Spanyol, apalagi ia mendapat tawaran dari calon Presiden Real Madrid, Villar Mir. Tetapi, hingga saat ini, MU tetap tak melepasnya, apalgi Ronaldo terikat kontrak di Old Trafford hingga tahun 2010.

Semenjak itu permainan ronaldo semakin menggila, semakin bertambah menawan dari musim ke musim. gol2, kocekan, tendangan bebasnya pun semakin tajam. sehingga dia didaulat sebagai pengambil free kick, setelah sepeninggal beckham jarang lagi terihat tendangan bebas yang tajam merobek gawang di theater of dream.

bahkan rekor gol winger tersubur MU selama semusim milik George Best-pun dipecahkannya, tak tanggung2 dia pun berlomba di papan atas top score Liga Inggris bersaing bersama para strikertop sekelas Drogba ataupun Torres. di usianya yang masih sangat muda, Ronaldo akan menjadi Legenda baru buat The Red Devils

Selain dikenal sebagai pesepakbola yang brilian, Ronaldo juga dikenal dengan sifat sosialnya. Publik sepakbola Indonesia mungkin takkan lupa atas kedatangannya untuk mengunjungi korban tsunami Aceh dan santunannya kepada salah seorang anak Aceh bernama Martunis yang dilihatnya di televisi menggunakan kaos Timnas Portugal.

Referensi:

Ignatius Sunito, http://www.bolanews.com/sunito/11641.php

Dann496, http://www.indomanutd.info/legend_tampil.php?id=10

Simply Red, http://www.indomanutd.info/legend_tampil.php?id=24

Dann496, http://www.indomanutd.info/legend_tampil.php?id=2

http://www.id-manutd.com/legenddetail.php?pilihlegend=9

http://www.liputanbola.com/fitur/?id=160

eric cantona: footballer, poet, actor, painter....

.... kung fu master...

... professional nose-picker...
he was voted MU's player of the century in 2001. but it's not about his footballing pedigree that i wanna talk about. it's about the way he wears his polo jersey collar that has now been a fashonista's iconic do. even here in good ol' bolehdom.

remember this?

note the collar
or this one?

still keep ur eyes on the collar
or this great caricature?

look at the great detail of the up-ended collar
but really, guys, this fella is all about angst, chivalry, misunderstood soul and all that jazz. that's why he quit football during his heydays. he's a non-conformist in a very conformist world. that's why he refused to play in the French national team. he has his reasons. that's why he wears his collar like that. it's been a perpetual piece of thorn in my finger when i see malaysian blokes wearing their polo shirt collar like that. even kids, i swear to u. yesterday i was in the pavilion, and later dinner at suzy's corner near ampang jaya, and i counted at least 5 pre-adolescent kids wearing their collar up-ended. i guess to them (or their doting parents) it looks cool. to me we're just parroting something that we don't really understand.
it's something like the punk movement (wat movement?) in malaysia. once i had the pleasure of having asked this 16 year old punk-nazi wannabe (who also happens to be a school drop out) near the klcc fountain why is it that he is what he is. he looked at me with gleaming eyes for a couple of second before answering:
"wa bebas, brader.. tak perlu ikut cakap mak ayah. tak perlu famili. ini famili wa (showing at his friends) ... wa boleh wat apa wa suka. brader ada rokok tak? wa paw sebatang, leh?"
poetic, isn't it? he don't even know the philosophy behind the punk movement, let alone the history of punk. what he does is just parrot-fashioning his elder friends. i really do feel sorry for these hedonistic, swastika waving kids.

in the 50s when america was introduced to a grim faced, blonde haired, anti-alpha male hero named james dean, people stood up and took notice. it was soon cool to wear a body hugging white tees, denims and tight jeans, have one's hair heavily greased with a remos (at least that's wat my generation used to call it), and a cigarette perpetually dangling from the edge of one's lip. it was cool to defy one's parents and family, and seek solace amongst peers. it was cool for guys to shed a tear or two. it was an age when it's cool to wear keds, driving around the mall and neighbourhood in a whitewall tyred cars, and with rock n roll blazing in the speaker. but they had their reasons. they had their raison d'etre.

wat i'm trying to say here is that polo shirts are NOT meant to be worn with its collars up-ended a'la bat wings. even if it's meant as a fashion statement. u don't wear ur office shirt with its collar up-ended, do u? every action must have reasons. and it can't be (an answer i got from a middle aged man in the check-out line at Puchong Tesco) .. "saja je..". a famous line by mr. wint and mr. kidd, psychotic assasins in the james bond movie 'diamonds r 4ever', after they've successfully blown up a plane, comes to mind: "If God have meant for men to fly... He wud've given them wings".

in this context, if polo shirts were meant to be worn with their collars up-ended, their creators would ask the models to wear them as such.

One man with such stainless nuts is one Zvonimir Boban, a Yugoslav (as was) with such hardened testes as to vent his frustration at some part of an on-field brawl – which part isn’t quite clear, and quite frankly who cares – on an innocent (as I’m was sworn by all his colleagues in court) member of the constabulary). What isn’t shown in this video is the copper actually making contact with his truncheon (insert own gay porn joke), but old Zvonni clearly got the hump and dropped the guy with a neatly executed knee to the chin. Before running away like a girl.

Ah well, at least King Eric had the bollocks to try and fight the guy a bit more before allowing himself to be led away.

'Why would Ronaldo want to leave the champions of Europe?' asked one perplexed Mailboxer this week. Only the man himself can produce the definitive answer, but it is probably precisely because Manchester United are the champions of Europe and England that Ronaldo wants to leave.

As a Manchester United player, he has nothing left to prove or win. If he has concluded that two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one Carling Cup and one European Cup amount to a satisfactory haul from his five-year haul in England, then who can argue? He has become a visitor from his own success.

The wording of the statement with which he finally confirmed his intention to leave Manchester this summer depicted money as fundamental to his choice. Yet what is money to Ronaldo, already a multi-millionaire at the age of 23? If simple greed was paramount in his outlook then his representatives would currently be in negotiations with United over a new deal, striving to engineer a bidding war between United and Madrid.

A £300,000-a-week wage - the amount Madrid are supposedly offering - is a sum that would capture anyone's attention, but the status that such a deal would confer on Ronaldo is equally persuasive. The supreme egoist, Ronaldo wants to be regarded as the best player in the world. Is there a more trenchant cause to claim that title than becoming the best-paid player in the world as well as the most expensive? Note that his statement stipulated that he was willing to join Madrid only if they "pay what Manchester United ask of them". Money matters to Ronaldo but not necessarily in the way that his detractors claim.

Not that labelling Ronaldo the supreme egoist is necessarily a rebuke either. Ronaldo's game is based on confidence and arrogance in much the same way as Thierry Henry's is/was on pace. Without belief, the tricks and outrageous showmanship would be redundant. Madrid's trick has been to feed that swollen ego by making Ronaldo the subject of the summer. He is, it is reasonable to presume, loving the attention as well as the blatant implication from Madrid's pursuit that only he alone - the greatest player on the planet - can save the Spanish giants from becoming also-rans on the continent (they may have won La Liga in successive years but it is four years since they progressed beyond the first knock-out stage of the Champions League).

There was a telling sight in the immediate moments after United's Champions League victory in Moscow. As the rest of the squad rushed forward, seemingly joined at the hip, towards Edwin van der Sar, Ronaldo stood alone before throwing himself to the turf. Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction of relief following his failure to score in the penalty shoot-out. Or perhaps it was the response of a showman still striving to hog the limelight, unable to share the drug of adulation. Only Ronaldo himself really knows, but the moment was memorable in so much as it was the first public indication that he had bought into the notion that he was the core individual in Manchester United's legendary one-man team.

Regardless of the money involved, Madrid's approach, dressed up as a plea for a one-man rescue act, has thus become too good for Ronaldo to turn down. Without it, another year, and the risk of relative failure, at Old Trafford would await. He may lack the modesty to ask himself such as question, but how could Ronaldo realistically improve on a season of 42 goals, a Premier League title, Champions League glory and another Player of the Year award? The challenge of resurrection that awaits in Spain is the one that his ego craves and requires to sustain itself.

United have repeatedly and strenuously insisted that they will not sell their prized asset and the issue now becomes collision of two truisms: the first that Sir Alex Ferguson never sells a player he wants to keep and the second that clubs, even the biggest kind, never keep players who want to leave. The likelihood is that Ferguson will eventually be worn down by Real's resolve and Ronaldo's agitating into accepting a deal. United will surely eventually follow Ronaldo's example and regard Madrid's offer as too lucrative to refuse. With the fee bound to exceed £70m, Ronaldo's departure would finance at least two high-profile signings, most probably either Dimitar Berbatov or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and, given Carlos Queiroz's increasing influence, Porto's Ricardo Quaresma.

Although Quaresma would be a like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo, the arrival of a second striker would also enable United to move in a new direction. The flexible, interchanging 4-3-3 formation of last season was designed in part to reflect Ronaldo's evolution into a forward who was neither a winger nor a striker. As such, their development was reliant on his. Independent and once again masters of their own collective destiny, United could revert to a 4-4-2 system that would instead make Wayne Rooney and partner its centrepiece.

The question is whether Ferguson, now openly discussing his retirement, still possesses the energy for another rebirth. The 'Ronaldo team' should have been the last of his reign. Suddenly, and without warning, that plan has been scotched.

Yet the doom-mongers should tread carefully. Queiroz has already accepted the bulk of Ferguson's day-to-day responsibilities and the loss of Ronaldo will no doubt be offset by headline-grabbing arrivals. The temptation will be to depict Ronaldo's departure as a 42-goal reduction. It will be no such thing. Just as the £2bn supposedly lost by the British economy in the wake of England's elimination from Euro 2008 didn't go up in smoke at a giant bonfire, the player(s) who replace Ronaldo will provide their own number of assists and goals. It may not equate to the amount he produced in 2007/08 but it should suffice.

Thoughts of the day;

Eric Cantona has told Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United will survive without you.

With Ronaldo touting himself to Real Madrid, United legend Cantona stepped into the battle yesterday declaring: "United is one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"They have been winning, are winning and will continue to win things generation after generation. They will always win whoever they have playing for them."

But today, Hughes put all this aside as he took over as Manchester City manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson's departure. Earlier on this blog, I made my views about that affair and City's owner Thaskin Shinawatra quite clear but it is my belief that they have picked a tremendous successor to the Swede.

Since retiring from playing in 2002, the Welshman has embarked on a successful managerial career. In 1999 he was appointed manager of Wales, despite still playing with Southampton, and latterly with Everton and Blackburn Rovers.

His time in charge of his country is most noted for their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, where they finished 2nd in their group to Italy, forcing a play off match with Russia. Although this included a famous defeat of the Italians in Cardiff, they fell at the last hurdle to the Russians over 2 legs.

But Hughes' work had not gone unnoticed and in September of 2004 he took charge of Blackburn, following Graeme Souness' move to Newcastle. Working on a shoestring budget, Hughes guided Rovers to Premier League safety and an FA Cup semi final, their first in over 40 years, but they lost out to Arsenal.

Rovers continued to improve under his guidance and a superb 6th place finish in his second season ensured European football back at Ewood Park. They reached the UEFA Cup round of 32 the following season, losing out to German side Bayer Leverkusen.

Another top ten finish and FA Cup semi final appearance, along with this season's 7th place, saw his stock rise still further. Working with one of the smaller budgets in the Premier League, with one his bigger buys being Roque Santa Cruz for around £3.5 million, it is widely acknowledged that Hughes has worked miracles with Blackburn, establishing them as one of England's leading clubs.

But today he moved back to Manchester with the blue side, citing greater potential at Eastlands for the move. He said: "I had a fantastic time at Blackburn.

"There was a limit to how far I could take the club and it's a case now that I'm at a club that can match my ambitions."

Clearly, Hughes will not let past club loyalties get in the way of his progression as a manager, and that has to warm the hearts of City's fans. With all due respect to Blackburn, a club whom I greatly admire, Hughes has joined a far bigger club- larger squad, larger fanbase and they are awash with money thanks to Shinawatra, in contrast to the more limited resources available to him at Ewood.

He sees City as a club that can, and should, challenge regularly in Europe and in domestic competition. Given the success he had signing bargain players at Blackburn, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Sparky can have City reaching cup finals and challenging the European spots in the league with financial backing.

Early on at Blackburn, Hughes' team had a reputation for being physical, which Arsene Wenger complained about after the aforementioned FA Cup semi final. But Hughes progressively built a side that was attractive to watch, with players such as Santa Cruz, Morten Gamst Pedersen and England star David Bentley coming to prominence and giving Blackburn a real zest and flair to their play.

And that sort of level is what City's supporters will be hoping for. They saw it for the first half of the season under Eriksson and they will hope Hughes can restore that in the coming season. I still feel that Shinawatra was perhaps hasty in sacking the Swede, but I have to feel that he will have appeased the supporters by acquiring Hughes.

It poses the question though- if he is successful at Eastlands, could he be the man to eventually succeed Sir Alex Ferguson when he retires from Manchester United? I wouldn't be surprised at that.

But that is for the future. For the present, what is Blackburn's loss will almost certainly be Manchester City's gain. The fact he is a hero of their sworn rivals will eventually be forgotten.

I don't know why I'm surprised really.  Tomorrow night's game will be, after all, the biggest, most important, most prestigious and (I think I can safely predict this) the most exciting game since Sky invented football in the early nineties.

In all seriousness, the neutral (some would suggest I'm talking about anyone outside of London and the Far East) will be hopeful that we don't get more of the same plodding, negative and unremittingly cagey football that these two teams invariably serve up when they face up to one another.  For me, my only concern is that Paul Scholes- the most talented English footballer I have seen play- receives a winner's medal.  What a contrast this man is with the chap whose ankle-knack dominates this evening's news.

Scholes is a wonderfully balanced and intelligent footballer, he has the ability to dictate the pace and direction of a game in a way that very few players have ever shown, he is a wonderful striker of the ball both in the crisp accuracy of his passing and in his potent shooting from all angles and ranges.  And, what is more, he is also a very human footballer.  He isn't a freak.  He is short for a modern player and invariably finds himself up against taller, faster, stronger athletes where his ingenuity and intelligence enables him to overcome the initial disadvantage.  And he is quite simply the worst tackler I have ever seen at the top level.  It's so important that the people that you idolise have real human qualities, isn't it?

But the very greatest thing about Paul Scholes is his truly unaffected personality.  In an age of celebrity obsession where bin-picking outside the home of any Premiership footballer can provide a living wage, Scholes remains himself.  He plays for the most publicity-driven team in the most hyped league in the world and has done for the better part of fifteen years.  He has been club-mates with some of the most well-known players anywhere in the world- Beckham, Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Keane- and yet serious football scholars rate him as better than all of them.  Not least his manager Sir Alex Ferguson.  Scholes trains studiously, and then goes home to be with his family.  He doesn't involve himself in personal product endorsements and, when his club requires him to do so his discomfort shines through every photograph.  When his club aren't playing he watches his boyhood team Oldham Athletic with his son.  He is probably more grounded, normal and humble than the most of the men on the terraces watching.

I often find myself sympathising with young footballers who find themselves millionaires in their teens and stalked obsessively by the media- not because of the intrusion necessarily, but because I know that I would have ended up in rehab, in prison or in a coffin.  Scholes has had more than most, had it younger than most, has had it longer than most and copes with it better than them all.  He is an absolutely wonderful man and I hope against hope that he gets the medal he cruelly missed out on eight years ago.  I'll leave the last word to his former captain Roy Keane: "No self-promotion - an amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being."

Back in the day before the widespread satellite phenomenon even extended cable didn't offer that much soccer on TV. I'd been rasied playing soccer and it's one of those things that, while I may not be the best at, I can definitely hold my own. So when European soccer was on TV most the time it was Liverpool or Manchester United. So I grew up watching Man U. And have to say, I totally fell in love with the club and it's players. Namely one Eric Cantona. A French asshole (yeah that was a fan.) with a penchant for socring goals... along with coaches wives, which is how he ended up at Man U. Anyway, the point of this is, Man U's season is coming to an end with a run at not only the English title, but the European title... I'm excited.

Strangely I've also been watching a lot of NBA basketball. Which really has surprised me. I'm not a fan of the NBA. I grew up being a fan of Michael Jordan and him leaving the NBA left something to be desired in watching a random game. Jordan is no longer around, and neither are my Chicago Bulls, so I've been rooting for Cleveland (with the second coming of Michael Jordan, in Lebron James) and of course the Boston Celtics.

Here begins my sports rant....
#1. Arena musical selections should really be carefully monitored. Whilst watching a Cleveland game, during one of their timeouts, I couldn't help but over hear Sweet Caroline being played. WTF???? Sweet Caroline. The same song that is played at EVERY Boston Red Sox home game? Pull your head out Cleveland. But I mean I guess it's to be expected, their fans aren't very sports literate anyway. Their the same fans that thought towels were going to get them through the ALCS last year. PS... hey cleveland.... real stadiums have their own traditions. Real fans don't need gimmicks. Of course I can't fault you completely. You are the city that had their heart ripped out by Art Model. I apologize for that, but start building your fan IQ.

#1b Dear Salt Lake City,
Hi! We love that you are in the Playoffs this year. Seems like you guys do that a lot. Congrats to you guys. We'd like to bring a little something to your attention, and it has to do with your musical selection in the arena. We couldn't help but notice that during a time out you were playing 2 Legit 2 Quit by MC Hammer. Really? Now we understand that 95% of your population is white and is in fact Mormon, and we also know that by those two facts alone, MC Hammer is probably one of the top sellers in the "rap" genre down there. But I have to say people, after doing a little research you would have though you guys could have just followed a strict musical selection of Jock Jams. Just put the CD in and press play during time outs. There are 5 discs so I'm pretty sure that should last you the playoffs.

It should also be noted in the the almost 10 years of Jock Jams, not once is 2 Legit 2 Quit on one of those albums. Something Salt Lake should probably be notified of.

#2.
Speaking of fan IQ... what the hell is Washington Wizards fans' deal??? They have got to be some of the worst fans in the ENTIRE world. Slinging around a towel cause it was free, I can forgive that. Wearing all white to the arena cause it looks cool on TV, I can forgive that. What I cannot, and WILL not forgive is the intolerable chants of OV-ER-RAT-ED when LEBRON JAMES is shooting free throws. Seriously, who in their right fucking mind thinks Lebron James is overrated? Oh that's right Washington Wizards Gaurd DeShawn Stevenson said this in an interview...

When he was leaving the building, Mike Lee was chatting him up and mentioned LeBron again. DeShawn has obviously heard enough of that.

"He's overrated," DeShawn told Mike. "And you can say I said that."

You've got some balls Stevenson. Some huge balls.... but in reality, that's about all you've got. I mean lets take a comparison...
LEBRON JAMES 4 Years Pro
points per game 27.3
rebounds per game 6.9
assists per game 6.6

DeShawn Stevenson 7 years pro
points per game 8.7
rebounds per game 2.4
assists per game 1.9

YOWZERS! I didn't realize they gave NBA Contracts for Sucking. (I'm not claiming I can play any better, but I'm not calling out a future Hall of Famer. That of course is no knock to you DeShawn.)

oh by the way.... DeShawn.... I'm not sure if you know this, but Lebron has 34, 22, 30, and 32 points in the 4 games of the playoffs. I wouldn't be looking for that defensive player of the year award anytime soon.

Anyway... on to some other things.... Like the Hills.

I'm really beginning to hate this show. I'm not going to lie. I wish they would move the point of focus off of Lauren, for in fact her life, is not only boring, but repetitive.

Like I know this show is targeted at younger females, but is this really what they like? A stupid girl who a.) won't let go of a grudge b.) reverts to the same mistakes over and over c.) is completely spoiled outta her mind and doesn't have to do a thing in life?

A. Lauren if you've got a sex tape.... let the world see it. And by the world I mean me. I can do a little photoshop editing and take good ole J-Wahls face outta there and insert anyone you'd like. (namely me.) If your supposed best friend is the one who released the tape, don't be pissed at her.... stop making porn at her house. It's just a common courtesy. I mean, my friends all know if they have sex at my house, not only will my mom be pissed, but I'll be filming the shit to make the next set of car payments. This would also work out a lot better if any of my friends were famous.

B. Lauren, move on with your life. For reals. find some new blood in that pathetic little circle of friends you have. There are millions of people in LA. More than likely there are lots of dudes who would be willing to take a shot with you. Shit, my friend Mr. Royal lives in LA. I could set you guys up. He's a cool dude. Please for the love of god stop recycling the dudes in your life. I don't want to see Brody, (ps his girl is all sorts of smokin hot... and don't think the world didn't notice you look her up and down and judge. And yes... she's prettier than you.) I don't want to see Jason, and I sure as fuck don't want to see Stephen. If I wanted to see Stephen again, I'd pop in my dvd's of Laguna Beach. Of course then i'd be forced to watch Kristen Cavallari.... meow.

C.) I hate how spoiled you are LC. At some point I wish you would fall in love with some transient on the street, get married and have mommy and daddy disown you so you could enter the real world. I only say this because I am jealous of your house. It is very nice. Wonder what the monthly payments on that bitch are...

With all this said and done, it's nice to see Justin Bobby looking normal. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sure the ladies love this "cat" looking clean cut. And now that he's not looking/talking like a transient on a 4 day binger, I'm not sure I've got anything to make fun of him for.

Killer Boots Man!

For those of you missing some good ole fashion reality shows, here are some other shows you may want to catch....

Hells Kitchen
Deadliest Catch
The Alaska Experiment
American Idol (I know I know.)

enjoy your week...

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea."

"Football is like making love, if you can't last 90 minutes like me, you wont win."

"I might have said that, but on the whole I talk a lot of rubbish."

"I had heart, and I know without heart you cannot play."

"Goals are like babies... They are all beautiful."

"I am God."

Zinedine Zidane compartió equipo junto a su ídolo, el uruguayo Enzo Francescoli, acompañado de estrellas de todos los tiempos, como el francés Eric Cantona o el danés Michael Laudrup, durante el encuentro benéfico que organizó en Ginebra la Fundación 442 del centrocampista suizo del Getafe Fabio Celestini.

El partido, organizado para recaudar fondos para esta fundación que promueve el fútbol como elemento de integración social de los más jóvenes, permitió que Zidane cumpliese el sueño de jugar junto a su ídolo, junto al "Príncipe" que le entusiasmó durante su etapa en el Marsella.

Todos dejaron detalles, Cantona marcó un buen gol, Laudrup dio pases marca de la casa y Francescoli tocó con clase, pero fue Zidane el que volvió a confirmar que su retirada fue precipitada. "Zizou" dio el pase de los dos primeros goles de su equipo, marcados por Bixente Lizarazu y Raúl, y marcó otro, tras dejar sentado a Olmeta, en el primer tiempo.

Dirigido por el alemán Bernd Schuster, que viajó a Ginebra tras dejar al Real Madrid con más de medio título en la mano, el equipo 442 formó con Pato Abbondanzieri, Contra, Celestini, Karembeu, Lizarazu, Laudrup, Francescoli, Zidane, Jordi Cruyff, Raúl y Cantona.

El conjunto de estrellas del Olympique, que dirigió el ex seleccionador francés Michel Hidalgo, estuvo compuesto por Olmeta, Cana, Amorós, Pérez, Dabo, Pires, Durand, Zneden, Ravanelli y Anderson.

En el descanso, Zidane y Francescoli expresaron su mutua admiración. "He jugado contra él y, hoy, tengo la suerte de jugar con él. Lo pasamos bien. Es el mejor jugador que he visto, mi ídolo", dijo "Zizou" a la "LaSexta" en el descanso del encuentro. "Es muy fuerte que me haya tomado como su ídolo. Ya se lo dije, superó a quien, según él, era su maestro", respondió "El príncipe". Zidane también se congratuló de la buena temporada del Real Madrid. "Estoy muy contento. Lo están haciendo muy bien y cuando sales campeón siempre estás contento", indicó. 

Fuente: Marca

Egentligen hade jag tänkt hålla mig någorlunda strikt till ämnen som politik, Stockholm, Kvalserien eller något annat som är aktuellt. Men de senaste dagarna har varit rätt röriga, för mig personligen...

Verklighet...

Eftersom jag inte vill att denna Blogg ska ramla tillbaka i samma grop av känslomässig sörja som min gamla Blogg hamnade i så kan vi bara kallt konstatera att just nu är kvinnor/tjejer/brudar ett störe hot mot PROZAC:s hälsa än att Iran rockar vidare med sin urananrikning. Vad Iran ska använda det anrikade uranet till  behöver man inte vara raketforskare för att räkna ut... Kan bli fint världsomspännande fyrverkeri inom snar framtid. Let´s go, Iran !!! 

Nåväl... Iran och kärnvapen är som sagt ett MINDRE problem.

Medicin...

För att komma på bättre humör så slösurfade jag runt lite på YouTube och hittade denna pärla. Ett klassiskt mål av Eric Cantona. Njut.

Jag började i alla fall genast må lite bättre... Så till er trogna läsare (ni har blivit ett rätt stort gäng nu) så vill jag bara meddela att jag ska kurera mig hårt med mera fotboll och världspolitik. Snart är jag åter med i matchen. STAY TUNED !!!

Eftertext...

Förövrigt så är jag rätt säker på att det här är den ENDA bloggen i världen som avhandlar Iran, urananrikning och Eric Cantona i ett och samma inlägg. Sug på den Alex Schulman och ni andra s.k. blogg-proffs.

• För övrigt så tippar jag att AIK vinner mot GIF Sundsvall ikväll...

Michel Platini- He played at a time when shorts were at their shortest, and perms were at their peak.  A curly moppet in blue, the great Platini was part of the 1984 European Championship winning French national team.  He's now UEFA's president, and we all know that power is sexy.

Eric Cantona- No one could pout like this Frenchman can, and for 5 seasons, fans at Old Trafford sang this Red Devil's name.  His footballing prowess (for club, not country) is well known, but I will remember him for his very strong brow line, and disturbing kung fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan.

Zinedine Zindane- Ah, Zizou.  Falling in love with this man is a constant exercise in discovery.  At first it was his ability to control the midfield with his seemingly effortless playmaking.  Then it was his almost languid body movement, completely constrasting his quick and spritely teammates.  Then, I saw this video.  The guy has an amazing face, beautiful eyelashes, and I'd forgotten how young he really is.  Mm. Oh, uhm... yeah he was also known as one of the most carded players, he had that monk 'do, and often committed some fairly nasty fouls on the opposition.  ...and there's the headbutting thing at WC 2006.  But...we can work throught that.

David Trezeguet- Like Cantona, he's a really good player, but he's not usually counted among the international greats. He's had a very good career, and since he's only 30- that should continue for a bit longer.  He's mainly on this list because he's cute.  There, I said it.

Thierry Henry- He's the kind of guy that makes other guys sick.  He's a superb, multi award winning athlete, he's scary rich, he can easily dress himself, he's really really ridiculously goodlooking, he has a cool accent, and he used to be married to a hot model.  The hot model is gone, but the rest still remains, making him an enviable figure in most social circles. 

France

Cantona's first club was Auxerre, where he spent two years in the youth team before making his debut in 1983.

The whole of 1984 saw Cantona's footballing career put on hold as he carried out his national service. After discharge he was loaned out to Martigues in the French Second Division. Rejoining Auxerre and signing a professional contract in 1986, his performances in the First Division were good enough to earn him his first full international cap.

He was part of the French under-21 side that won the 1988 U21 European Championship and shortly after that success, he transferred to Marseille, the club he supported as a boy, for a French record fee. Cantona had quite often shown signs of being 'short tempered' in his career to date, and in January 1989 during a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow he ripped off and threw away his jersey after being substituted. His club responded by banning him for a month. Just a few months earlier, he had been banned from international matches for insulting the national coach on TV.

Having struggled to settle at Marseille, Cantona moved to Bordeaux on a six-month loan and then to Montpellier on a year-long loan. At Montpellier, he was involved in a fight with team-mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. The incident led to six players demanding that Cantona be sacked. However, with the support of team-mates such as Laurent Blanc and Carlos Valderrama, the club retained his services and Cantona was instrumental as the team went on to win the French Cup. His form persuaded Marseille to take him back.

Back at Marseille, Cantona initially played well under the new coach Franz Beckenbauer. However, the Marseille chairman Bernard Tapie was not satisfied with the results, and replaced Beckenbauer with Raymond Goethals with whom Cantona did not see eye-to-eye. Cantona was also continually at odds with Tapie and despite helping the team win the French Division 1 title, he was transferred to Nîmes the following season.

In December 1991, during a match for Nîmes he threw the ball at the referee, having been angered by one of his decisions. He was summoned to a disciplinary hearing by the French Football Federation and was banned for one month. Cantona responded by walking up to each member of the hearing committee in turn and calling him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 3 months. For Cantona this was the last straw and he announced his retirement from football in December 1991.

The French national team coach Michel Platini was a keen fan of Cantona, and persuaded him to make a comeback. On the advice of Gérard Houllier, he moved to England to restart his career.

England

Leeds United

On 6th November 1991 after Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Auxerre in a UEFA Cup 2nd round 2nd leg tie at Anfield, Graeme Souness, the manager of Liverpool at the time was met by Frenchmen Michel Platini at the end of the game, and told him he had a player that would like to play for Liverpool, he said his name was Eric Cantona. Souness told him thank you but he did not want any trouble and declined his offer. In January 1992 Cantona came to England for a trial with Sheffield Wednesday, managed by Trevor Francis. When offered an extension to the trial, he found this insulting and subsequently joined Leeds United A.F.C., where he was an important part of the team that won the final old First Division championship in 1991-92. He was also inspirational in the Charity Shield 4-3 win over Liverpool in 1992, scoring a hat-trick.

He however left Leeds before the end of the 1992-93 season, which saw them finishing 17th out of 22 in the newly formed Premier League, moving to Manchester United in November 1992 for the relatively small fee of £1.2 million, much to the disgust of the Leeds fans, although Howard Wilkinson, the Leeds United manager, was eager for him to leave.^{[citation needed]}

Manchester United

Cantona's first appearance for Manchester United was against Benfica in Lisbon, in a friendly match to mark the 50th birthday of Eusebio. He made his competitive debut as a second half substitute against Manchester City at Old Trafford, on December 6th, 1992. United won 2-1, though Cantona made little impact that day.

United's season had been disappointing up to Cantona's signing. They had had problems scoring goals: Brian McClair and Mark Hughes were off form, and summer signing Dion Dublin had broken his leg early in the season. However, Cantona quickly settled into the team, not only scoring many goals but also creating chances for the other players. His first United goal came in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 19th 1992. It was against Tottenham Hotspur on January 9th 1993, that Cantona really showed his class, scoring one and having a hand in the other goals in a 4-1 victory. For the next two years, United went on an amazing run, winning the inaugural Premiership in 1993. By winning that title, Cantona became the only player ever to win back-to-back titles with different clubs.

They retained the Premiership and with Cantona's two penalties helping them to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. Cantona was voted PFA Player Of The Year in 1994. However, he already had a serious disciplinary problem, being sent off a record 4 times in the Premier league season. [2]

Éric Cantona kicks Crystal Palace fan Simmons.

In the following season Cantona became infamous for an incident that occurred on 25 January 1995. In an away match against Crystal Palace, after being sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw (after Shaw had pulled his shirt), he launched a 'kung-fu' style 540 kick against a Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons. Simmons was later tried for threatening language and behaviour, and attacked the prosecution counsel after being found guilty, leaping over a bench and executing a flying kick of his own. He was sentenced to seven days in jail, but only served 24 hours of his sentence.^[2] At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous quotation. Referring to how journalists would constantly monitor his behaviour, Cantona said, in a slow and deliberate manner:

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea"

He then got up from his seat and left, leaving many of the assembled crowd bemused. He was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after an appeal court overturned a 2 week prison sentence for assault. He was also suspended by The Football Association until the following October. Manchester United eventually lost the Premiership title to Blackburn.

There had been much speculation that Cantona would leave English football when his ban finished, but Alex Ferguson persuaded him to stay in Manchester and Cantona was once again inspirational. United had sold several key players at the start of the season and replaced them with players from the club's youth team and their prospects of winning the league were not looking good. Much hype surrounded Cantona's return game, against Liverpool on 1 October 1995. In the match, Cantona set up a goal for Nicky Butt inside 2 minutes, and then scored a penalty after Ryan Giggs had been upended. Eight months without competitive football had inevitably taken its toll and Cantona struggled for form prior to Christmas. Things then changed, however, with his goals helping United to recapture the league having been twelve points behind Newcastle United in January 1996. There was a spate of important 1-0 wins for United, with Cantona the goal scorer, but a 0-3 victory against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium decided the title. Fittingly, it was the same 1-0 scoreline, and the same scorer, in that year's FA Cup Final against Liverpool, with Cantona becoming the first foreign player to lift the FA Cup as captain. The strike of that match happened with 5 minutes remaining and was perhaps Eric Cantona's most famous goal of his career. A corner from the left side troubled Liverpool keeper David James who attempted to fist the ball out of the box. Instead, the ball was deflected down the middle to the top of the box. Cantona, who had backed away when the corner was sent, lined up and took an extremely athletic twisting volley with his right foot firing the ball through a sea of defenders into the net. The game was won. His redemption was complete after the scandals and lows of a year earlier. Cantona gave a post-match interview saying: "You know that's life. Up and down." Manchester United became the first team to win "the double" twice.

Cantona galvanised the United team to greater success with the likes of Ryan Giggs and youngsters David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville emerging under his influence. As United retained the league in the 1996-97 season, Cantona had won four league titles in five years with United (six in seven years including those won with Marseille and Leeds United), the exception being the 1995 season which he had largely missed through suspension. At the end of an admittedly lacklustre season by his standards, which was fuelled by United's elimination at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, he announced that he was retiring from football at the age of 30 which came as a surprise, and was met with great dismay by United fans. His final competitive game came against West Ham on 11th May 1997, and his final appearance before retiring was five days later on Friday 16th May in a testimonial for David Busst against Coventry City at Highfield Road, in which Eric scored twice in a 2-2 draw. Cantona scored a total of 64 league goals for Manchester United, 11 in domestic cup competitions, and 5 in The Champions League.

In 2004 Cantona was quoted as saying "I'm so proud the fans still sing my name, but I fear tomorrow they will stop. I fear it because I love it. And everything you love, you fear you will lose."

In 2006 The Sun newspaper reported Cantona as saying that Manchester United had lost their soul and that the current players were a bunch of sheep. The Old Trafford idol reckoned the days of maverick entertainers like himself and George Best were gone and feared the Red Devils were betraying their past by putting out boring, functional teams. However on the Contrary he was interviewed in the Number 7's issue of 'United Magazine' in August 2006 stating he will only come back to Manchester United as 'Number 1' (meaning not return as assistant manager or coach) and would create a team like no other and play the way he thinks football should be played.

Cantona opposed the Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United, and has stated that he will not return to the club, even as a manager, while the Glazer family is in charge. This will come as a disappointment to the many United fans who voted him as their choice for United's next manager in survey over the summer of 2000.^[3]

French National Team

Eric Cantona was given his full international début against West Germany in August 1987 by the then national team manager Henri Michel. In September 1988, angered after being dropped from the national team, Cantona insulted Michel in a post-match TV interview and was indefinitely banned from all international matches. However, Michel was sacked shortly after that having failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup.

The new coach was Michel Platini and one of his first acts was to recall Cantona who was a favourite of his. He claimed that Cantona would be selected as long as he was playing competitive top-class football; Platini had initiated Cantona's move to England to restart his career. France qualified for the 1992 European Football Championship held in Sweden, but failed to win a single game despite the striking partnership of Cantona and Jean-Pierre Papin. Platini resigned after the finals to be replaced by Gérard Houllier.

Under Houllier, France then failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. after losing the final game 2:1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would have sufficed. David Ginola gave away possession in the game which led to Bulgaria's winning goal by Emil Kostadinov. Cantona was reportedly angry with Ginola after the game. Houllier resigned and Aimé Jacquet took over.

Jacquet began to rebuild the national team in preparation for Euro 96 (the 1996 European Championship) and appointed Cantona as the captain. Cantona remained the captain until the Selhurst Park incident in January 1995. The suspension which resulted from this incident also prevented him from playing in international matches.

By the time Cantona's suspension had been completed, he had lost his role as the team's playmaker to another star, Zinedine Zidane, as Jacquet had revamped the squad with some new blood and built it around Zidane. Cantona, Papin and Ginola were never again selected for the French team and missed Euro 96. Though there was criticism about Cantona's omission, as he was playing his best football in the FA Premier League, Jacquet himself stated that the team had done well without Cantona, and that he wanted to keep faith with the players who had taken them so far.^[4] The decision was vindicated as Les Bleus subsequently won the World Cup in 1998.

To this day, Cantona still harbours resentment for the people at the head of his national team but also admiration for his adopted football country; at Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he supported England and not France.[3].

[edit] Career in "retirement"

Cantona's subsequent career has mostly been in the French cinema, primarily as an actor although he has also directed a short film Apporte-moi ton amour in 2002; outside of France, he had a role as the French ambassador in the movie Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett in 1998. See filmography below.

Since retiring from professional football Cantona has appeared in numerous European television advertisements, especially for Nike. Cantona made cameos in two memorable commercials, one starring the Brazilian national team playing football in an airport, and another involving the national teams of both Brazil and Portugal. In a worldwide advertising campaign during the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he starred as the organiser of "underground" games (branded by Nike as "Scorpion KO") between football players like Thierry Henry, Hidetoshi Nakata, 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, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler. In a Nike campaign in the advance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, nearly ten years after his retirement, 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 an Irish EuroMillions advertisement. He has gained a considerable amount of weight since retiring from professional football, rendering him almost unrecognizable from his playing days.

Shortly after his departure from Manchester United, Cantona became captain of the French National Beach Football team. Cantona has continued his interest in beach soccer 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 1998, the Football League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Cantona on its list of 100 League Legends.

Cantona's achievements in the English League were further marked in 2002 when he was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame.

Family

Cantona was married to Isabelle Ferrer, they have two children. He is now married to actress Rachida Brakni. He has two other close relations that play professional football: his brother Joël Cantona played for Olympique de Marseille, Újpesti TE and Stockport County (and is also now an actor), whilst his nephew Sacha Opinel currently plays for Ebbsfleet United F.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cantona

Back in 1996 I was on a three week summer break between finishing a five month secondment position and returning to my old job. This allowed me to just tour where I liked around the UK as long as I made two pre-arranged appointments in the English Peak and Lake District National Parks.

The rest of this trip took in North Wales, Dublin in Ireland, Scottish Lochs and western isles, Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon and East Anglia. In total I travelled around 2000 miles in 19 days crossing the Irish Sea, climbing one of England's highest peaks in Helvellyn and experiencing the joys of the famous Edinburgh Festival. It was in this final location that I met my stranger.

Being on such a long break and rarely flushed with cash I had to watch the pennies very closely. It was for this reason that I'd bought a special ticket from the National Express coach company which meant that I could travel on any route up to a maximum number of trips in particular time-frame.

Finding myself in Edinburgh at the time of the festival always means that accommodation will always be pricey but I had a full-proof plan. [Taps nose knowingly].

To save money it made sense to put myself on a long coach journey, wherever it headed, and use that as my accommodation for the night. A quick look at the timetable showed a nine hour trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, a place I'd never visited before, that left Edinburgh at 10:30pm. It sounded perfect.

During my day in the Scottish capital I'd managed to discard my bags at a local branch of the company I worked for at the time. This made the day immeasurably easier until I picked up my stuff when the office closed at 6.00pm.

By this time I was ready to take it easy. Apart from the numerous Fringe events, I'd seen British comedian Phil Jupitus do an amusing take on Star Wars and Greg Proops of 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' fame with the soon to be famous - in the UK at least - Harry Hill in the chair immediately behind me in the audience.

I spent my evening in one wonderful Scottish pub chatting with the locals and tourists and at a restaurant with one eye on the clock to make sure I didn't miss my coach.

Come 10:00pm I made my way to the city bus station where I saw multitudes of people and it soon dawned on me that I may have made a catastrophic mistake. While I had a valid ticket I had to book ahead to reserve a seat. On some journeys this wasn't necessary and in my naivety I expected an overnighter to be pretty quiet. How wrong I was.

After a fruitless spell pleading with the driver I admitted defeat and without even considering hotel options I headed to Edinburgh Waverly train station. Again, as I planned to do with the coach journey, I was going try with the train to get myself on a long trip, wherever it was going.

There was just one train remaining at this time - a 30 mile trip to Glasgow at 11:15pm - which was hardly adequate in the circumstances so I prepared to bed myself down for the night.

So enter the stranger...

British and European readers will know of a French international soccer player called Eric Cantona, who at that time had just completed an eight month ban for inflicting a Karate kick on a fan while playing for Manchester United. I didn't expect to meet him in Edinburgh and so it proved but I did meet a strikingly accurate lookalike.

He was a Glaswegian with an accent so broad it was as thick as porridge. What's more he was roaring drunk. He was in a very good mood but he didn't expect it to last as his wife had wanted him home six hours previously.

Asking me of my plans I told him of the cock-up I'd made with coach and immediately he was full of concern. "Ya canna sleep here pal! Comes back w'me to Glasgee!" and before I knew it I was on a train trundling across central Scotland.

Eric - I'll call him that as I never did discover his name - was by now really flagging after a long day in the ale houses of Edinburgh. He drifted in and out of consciousness and I began to wonder exactly what I'd let myself in for. I woke him up when we arrived in Glasgow and we made our way to the station taxi rank and piled into the back. This is where it got really silly.

The driver asked where we were headed and Eric just couldn't answer - he just laughed and shrugged as if he'd never before been to the city. Me and the driver exchanged glances. I couldn't help obviously and we were within five seconds of being kicked out before Eric regained some sanity and remembered where he lived and we were on our way.

I had absolutely no clue as to where I was other than in Scotland's largest and most patriotic city with a drunk who would probably soon decide that spending time with Englishman was a bad idea and subsequently knee me in the groin.

Eventually we came to an apartment block in a nice part of town. Looking back I was lucky here because I could've ended up in any old doss house for the night.

We made our way up the stairs to his front door where he turned to me, put a finger to his lips to indicate that I should be quiet. He held his hands up and acted a gentle push towards me as to say that he wanted me to stand around he corner of the stairwell and out of sight. I didn't know whether to laugh or be scared - there was little doubt who was the boss in this household!

He knocked on his own front door - he couldn't find his keys - and shortly after it was opened by his wife in a dressing gown. She was all set to rip into her man with venom but then spotted me which only made matters worse - I was 'a guest' so she could say nothing so she just turned and went into the bedroom where you could definitely hear the sound of the door being locked.

Eric dismissively waved at the bedroom door before leading me into the lounge which was very nice. I remember a beautiful framed portrait of the whole family, with two gorgeous children, clearly all in happier times than this particular evening.

My inebriated friend just slumped on one sofa and just gestured me over to the other and he was asleep in seconds. As I lay there I wondered how this had all happened. I smiled to myself as I realised that he was probably taking as bigger chance inviting me into his home as I was of accepting his offer. I could've been anybody.

When the sky first started to show signs of daylight I was out the door without a word. Eric was dead to the world and I didn't think his wife would appreciate a wake-up call at 5:00am on a Tuesday morning.

To this day I don't know which part of the city I was in other than being a relatively short distance from the Celtic Park football stadium which I could make out on the skyline. I just wanted to get back to a place where I felt I had some control on my destiny so when I saw a bus saying Glasgow bus station on the front, I just took it.

I have little doubt that Eric had a terrible hangover when he eventually woke no doubt made worse by an angry wife. I can't say for sure but he may have been upset that I slipped out without saying thank you or goodbye but I'd stayed long enough - why make his life any more difficult than it surely already was.

He was risking his families safety and that of his property because he didn't want me to be sleeping on a bench at Edinburgh station. Even in his drink-fuelled state he made a gesture of a place to stay and I will always be grateful to him for that. He was a top man and it's hard to accept that I will never see him again.

This is for you Eric: "Cheers!"

Manchester United - Eric Cantona
Música em tributo á Eric Cantona, lendário nº 7 do Manchester de alguns anos atrás. Música interessante, com bastante destaque nas qualidades de Cantona, "Mais rápido que Alain Prost" e etc. O refrão da música faz menção á famosa frase de cartazes do tempo de Cantona: "Uh lalalala, Thanks France, for Eric Cantona". A melodia parece á de quem não está nem ai com a vida, com toques de gaita e flauta, a letra como já comentada é boa. Música boa para nada... Talvez uma conversa entre amigos sobre os ídolos do passado.

Rancid - Let Me Go
Rancid é punk, então antes de mais nada a música não é boa, mas eu gosto dela. 'Correction, I need no direction, let me go just one las time' diz a letra, que por sinal é boa dentro dos padrões punk... O vocal é horrível, rouco e sem ritmo, a parte instrumental é descente até, não combina em partes com o vocal, mas serve... Música ruim, mas boa pra quem gosta. Serve para momentos psicodélicos... Eu acho..

Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
Certeza que todo mundo já ouviu essa música uma vez na vida pelo menos... Admito que não conheço essa banda, mas essa música pelo menos é muito boa, apesar de já ter ouvido outras versões de outras bandas e todas se equivalem, mas essa por se