As far as football legends go, few reach the heights of the likes of ex-Manchester United player Eric Cantona.
Despite being best known nowadays for his Kronenbourg adverts, he was once known the world over for his antics on and off the pitch.
Perhaps none more so than his now infamous ‘Kung Fu Kick’ against a Crystal Palace fan after being sent off back in 1995.
Cantona received a red card during the match against Palace at Selhurst Park when fans started verbally abusing him as he walked off the pitch.
One man in particular caught Cantona’s attention and he decided to launch himself at the fan – foot first – before landing a barrage of punches on the man.
It obviously caused quite a stir in the stadium and in the newsrooms the following day – it even landed Cantona an eight month ban from the game for his efforts.
Yet one question on everybody’s lips was how Fergie reacted to the incident.
Sir Alex has always been known for his steel hand of management and mind games when it comes to players and press alike, so when he gave Cantona the cold shoulder as he walked off pitch, speculation began.
Now, Lee Sharpe, who was on the pitch when Cantona’s Kung Fu Kick rocked the footballing world, has revealed just what Alex Ferguson said after the incident and it’s best left to him really.
He said:
We’re all on the pitch going, ‘f*cking get in there’! There’s no way in a million years the manager can b*llock us for playing sh*t after he’s just done that…
The game finishes 1-1 which for us, is a really poor result and generally, a poor result away from home – Robson will say, ‘Right lads, lap of honour. We’ll give the manager five minutes to get a cup of tea and take a breath.’
Not this time. Robson’s like that – ‘Lads, dressing room now, this is gonna be f*cking hilarious.’ Let’s get in there.
So we pile into the dressing room and Robson gets in there and said, ‘Right lads you know the drill, put your towels over your clothes to keep them dry.
He continued:
‘Take your boots off, take your pads off. Whatever you do – do not make eye contact with the manager. He’s gonna go absolute f*cking bananas. Just keep your head down, listen, and f*cking enjoy it.’
We’re all sat there like schoolkids nudging each other saying, ‘The manager’s gonna f*cking kill Eric here, watch this.’
Manager comes in, he’s absolutely fuming. The door smashed off the back of its hinges. The jacket’s off. Shirt sleeves are up. He’s got steam coming out his ears, froth in the corner of his mouth. F*cking scarlet face on.
There’s benches in the middle of the room, shirts and balls to be signed. Plates of sandwiches, pots of tea and coffee. They’re f*cking flying everywhere.
He said:
We’re getting scolded; egg cress sandwiches down the back of your neck thinking, ‘F*cking Cantona watch this, here.’
And then he starts, the manager, ‘F*cking Pallister – you can’t f*cking head it you can’t f*cking tackle.
‘Incey, you’ve not laid a glove on anybody where the f*ck have you been? Sharpey, my f*cking grandmother’s quicker than you what the f*ck are you doing stood out there?
‘Sparky, you can’t trap a bag of cement, you’ve not f*cking passed to a red shirt. The f*cking lot of you.
He continued:
‘The issue with this club, travelling fans, performance like that, it’s a f*cking disgrace. Nine o’clock tomorrow morning, you’re all running your f*cking balls off I’m not putting up with it it’s f*cking shocking.
‘And Eric, you can’t go around doing things like that, son.’
This definitely confirms the special treatment Cantona got at the hands of Fergie, who saw that the tough love approach wouldn’t be productive with the striker.
It’s still hilarious, though.
