Joel Richards

Long before he wowed yet polarised opinion in England, Eric Cantona’s career in his homeland is not as fondly remembered due to a spate of incidents that tarnished his reputation with the French public. 

Cantona began his youth career at Les Caillols in 1980, initially as a goalkeeper, before a change of position further forward enhanced his creativity. Within 12 months Auxerre was alerted to Cantona’s precocious talent and their renowned youth academy secured his services.

Having flourished at youth level for club and country, Cantona made his senior bow for Les Diplomates in November 1983 in a 4-0 victory over Nancy but a combination of national service and a loan spell at Martigues disrupted his early years. After his loan spell, Cantona encountered trouble during a game against Cournon Le Cendre when the opposition targeted the young forward with robust tackles.

Eventually, Cantona snapped and although he was fortunate his retaliation was not spotted by the referee, the opposition attempted to exact revenge at full time and a brawl ensued. Further trouble followed when his loan spell at Martigues was marred by confrontation with a spectator in scenes that would be infamously replicated at Selhurst Park in 1995. 

In spite of the controversy, Cantona’s form improved and after becoming a focal point in the Auxerre attack he helped the club qualify for Europe again. By 1988 his starring performances in France’s U21 European Championship-winning side attracted attention for the right reasons, securing a dream move to boyhood club Marseille for a French record fee of FF22 million.

However, the move would ultimately turn sour as a three-year spell at the Stade Velodrome was blighted by an outburst that saw Cantona banned by the French national team for almost a year. After Henri Michel overlooked the forward for a friendly against Czechoslovakia, Cantona pledged he would never play for France again while Michel remained in charge. 

Amidst the country conflict, Cantona’s spell at Marseille was fraught as a fractured relationship with the fans led to loan spells at Bordeaux and Montpellier. At Montpellier, a failure to rein in his fiery nature resulted in a scuffle with teammate Jean-Claude Lemoult, which saw Cantona throw his boots at the midfielder’s face and he was sacked. But a player appeal led by Laurent Blanc ensured Cantona remained, and he helped Montpellier win the Coupe De France in 1990.

Encouraged by his form, Marseille recalled Cantona and his bright form contributed to OM winning the French title in 1991 amidst a backdrop of managerial changes due to chairman Bernard Tapie’s displeasure with results. Unhappy with Tapie’s decisions, Cantona regularly rowed with the chairman and was eventually sold to Nimes where a forgettable spell was blighted with a one month ban after throwing the ball at a referee.

Disillusioned with events, Cantona announced his retirement in December 1991. However, a tumultuous career in France would be put behind him after Michel Platini convinced the maverick to continue playing and venture to England where an even more eventful period lay in wait.