La Galaxia de Estrellas

Aparaajit's Preview:

Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! If everyone are goin to bet on the same old rich team winnin the league yet again, well they’d have to think deeply again. I think there are discussions by fans about teams like Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham that they’d be content fighting for second place!!! Now that’s rubbish!!!

How can this be???? When a season starts everyone are equal, which would technically mean that even a newly promoted team is in with a chance. Well, Wigan showed that last season, spending much of the first half of the season in the top 5 !!! Such cases are rare though!

The EPL has always lived upto its expectations. It’s such an exciting and unpredictable league and I think Chelsea could experience quite a few upsets this year. Well, last year Arsenal hammered Middlesbrough 7-0 and Chelsea lost to the same team 3-0. This is football and moreover the English Premier League, so anything is possible!!!!!

If one sees the teams on paper, it would take a brave man and someone who has zero football knowledge to actually say that the Chelsea roster isn’t the strongest. Adding Ballack, Obi Mikel, Shevchenko to this already impressive squad could only spell more danger for the other teams, but let’s think of this from another point of view.

Remember when Abramovich took over in 2003, it took one whole season for the side to develop and for the players to understand each other on and off the pitch…I think Chelsea could face a similar situation this year!! They’ve signed far too many players, and all of them being superstars have some kind of an egocentric attitude (something you find in almost all stars)
Bsides, tactically Chelsea have problems as well!!! There’s uncertainty about William Gallas’ future at the club and with Del Horno already out of England, they can only hope that Ashley Cole arrives from their London rivals. So as of now, they lack a proper left back.
Also, the problems are further intensified with the midfield battle. Ballack and Lampard play in more or less identical roles and if Mourinho were to play them in the startin line-up that would mean that either Essien or Makelele would have to watch from the sidelines!!
As for Manchester United, they have lost Ruud to Real Madrid, but they’ve made an important signing in Michael Carrick!!! They’ve lacked a proper central midfielder after the departure of Keane with Giggs and Fletcher playing in that position and even Kieran Richardson taking up that role! But now with Carrick, they’ve got a versatile central midfielder who can spray passes around and also get forward. They are tryin to further strengthen their central midfield options with Marcos Senna linked with a move to old Trafford. And with great players like Rooney, Giggs, Ronaldo, Scholes and Neville in the squad they are in with a shout!

Arsenal-conservative as ever. That’s Arsene Wenger’s style. Never looked too deep into the transfer market. They have attracted one star though- Tomas Rosicky who could possibly fill the gap left by Rober Pires who left the Gunners for Villareal. He’s not the only one who’s left the Gunners’ already small roster. With Dennis Bergkamp retiring and Sol Campbell in Pompey (plus the possibility of Cole and Reyes moving) it seems to be an inexperienced weak squad with the possibility of some young talents getting minutes on the pitch for the main team (a great example would be 17-year old Theo Walcott)… With players like henry on your side, you are always assured of goals especially with great support from midfield and fellow strikers like van Persie, Walcott and Adebayor. In fact , I dare say the Arsenal attack force is the best in the premiership!!

Liverpool.. hmm.. they’ve had a pre-season they’d love to forget!!! A nightmare!! But they did win 2-1 in the first leg of their champions league qualifiers. They have a talented squad with additions like Gonzalez, Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant. But so far they’ve looked far from convincing. I think this wont be a great season for them and they’ll struggle. Hopefully, with their driving force and inspirational captain, they can hope to finish in the top 4 or 3 maybe

That’s not it. The EPL comprises of 20 teams and not just 4. There are the other contenders like Tottenham and Newcastle who have strengthened their squads and could really challenge the contenders or atleast secure a spot in Europe for sure.

And there are these small teams (mostly mid table and bottom half) who may not be contenders but might affect the points of the contenders.

MY PREDICTION:

1.Manchester Utd/Arsenal
2.Chelsea FC
3.Manchester Utd/Arsenal
4.Liverpool/Tottenham

And I think the Wigan wonderboys are definitely capable of doin some damage to the pther teams and finishing in a creditable position. The same with Newcastle united. The team that is really goin to struggle this year is Middlesbrough. Haven’t made any signings and with Southgate retiring (and becoming manager), he has ABSOLUTELY NO COACHING EXPERIENCE!!! THIS COULD WELL TURN OUT TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST EPL SEASONS!!!! (that’s what people tell before the start of EVERY season, and I’m doin likewise)

My Preview:

The English Premier League. Arguably the best league in the world. And this season I think it will be up to our expectations. With more stars coming in and with a very few going out and many swapping clubs inside England, I think 2006-07 will have high quality competition. I only hope that there are lesser contoversies and more of fair-play football in the upcoming season.

I shall start off with my predictions. I think at the end of the season the top of the Premiership table will look like this:

1. Manchester United
   
2. Chelsea/Liverpool
   
3. Chelsea/Liverpool
   
4. Arsenal
   
5. Tottenham/Newcastle
   
6. Tottenham/Newcastle
   

Ok, I do know that Chelsea have bought Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Obi Mikel and Kalou are in to strenghten their squad. But still I think that Man Utd have a better chance to clinch yet another title as they are a happier outfit than Chelsea. The team has become more solid with the arrivals of Kuszczak and midfield maestro Michael Carrick. Paul Scholes and Gabriel Heinze are fit again. Ruud van Nistelrooij has left Manchester Utd for Real Madrid which many say is for the better of Manchester United. I only hope that they bring in a striker or two along with another holding midfielder (Owen Hargreaves seems to be a perfect fit, Lets see if that can happen).
Liverpool have added speed to their team with the signatures of Mark Gonzales and Craig Bellamy. But I still doubt whether the strikers they have would score enough goals to get them any silverware this season. Stevie G would be as important as ever for them. Drastic pre-season friendlies, a narrow win at home in a Champions League Qualifier and finally a win against Chelsea in the FA Community Shield has displayed Liverpool's mixture of fortunes. I can only hope that their performance this season will be consistent and that they do edge Chelsea to finish second.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have a weakened squad from last season. I really doubt whether the squad they have now will better their 4th place finish last season. Tomas Rosicky's addition to the squad has strenghthened their attack. But with Chelsea on the verge of buying Ashley Cole and the departure of Sol Campbell has really weakened if not the capability atleast the confidence of their defence. But you cannot take anything away from the back four of Eboue, Toure, Senderos and Flamini as they broke the champions league record of most consecutive clean sheets.
With Lehmann, as their custodian, guarding the goal as if there is gold inside, I completely agree with Mr.Wenger that Cole's departure will not be as drastic as expected. Cesc Fabregas has been amazing pre-season, let us see if he can maintain his form during the season and help Arsenal. Overall, I, like any other gunner, hope that Wenger does get in a good defender in terms of experience atleast.
Newcastle and Tottenham are in a similar shape, atleast according to me. I think the players whom Newcastle bought last season will fire this season. With Glen Roeder as their manager I do hope something good happens to the toon army. Tottenham, well, cant say much about them. They have been a revelation under the guidance of Martin Jol. I hope the new signings combine well with the already present squad and help them on to a good top 6 finish.
For me West Ham will be a surprise package yet again this season. They have an amazing squad and Alan Pardew has made very useful signings when he brought in Robert Green, Lee Bowyer, John Paintsil, and Carlton Cole. They have an amazing talent in Dean Ashton and I really hope that the hammers do well come this season. Manchester City too have made great signings and have sold off most of their squad. Blackburn too, like city, have made value for their money. Aston Villa are yet to buy any player but they have got the golden signature of Martin O'Neill. Randy Lerner, a US business magnate has bought the club and has promised to spend in the transfer market. I really hope something good happens to this historic club. Wigan, this season I think will not be as good as they were last season as most of their hard working squad got dismantled.
To me, the biggest disappointment this season will be Bolton and Boro. I dont know why but I get this feeling that they will not be able to perform like last season.
In all, it is going to be yet another exciting season of the English Premier League and I too like any other football freak can't wait to see it!!!!

Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentine professional football player who plays as a midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata. He is the son of Argentina striker Juan Ramón Verón, who was known as La Bruja (The Witch) and who scored against Manchester United in the 1968 World Club Championship at Old Trafford for Estudiantes. In 1993 La Brujita (Little Witch) signed from school for Estudiantes de La Plata – his father's former side. In 1996 he joined Boca Juniors, playing 17 games and scoring three goals. He made his international debut for Argentina, against Poland, in the same year. Sven-Göran Eriksson signed him for Sampdoria shortly afterwards.
In 1998, after starring for Argentina in the World Cup, he signed for Parma in a £15m deal. The following year, Parma won the Coppa Italia. Eriksson then signed him again, this time for Lazio in an £18.1m deal, reportedly netting a weekly wage of £48,000. Coincidentally, he made his debut for Lazio in the Italian side's 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the European Super Cup in Monaco.
In 2000, Verón was the driving force for Lazio as they captured the scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup. But in February the following year, the rumours about the validity of his passport caught up with him.
After the 2001 season he moved from Lazio to Manchester United on July 12 for £28.1 million in a five-year deal, the most expensive transfer in English football at that time. Upon signing for Manchester United, he said he had no fear of the Premiership. Unfortunately, after an impressive start, the pace of the English game started to get the better of him, as some games passed him by, and he was unable to settle into the United midfield. His future at United was constantly debated throughout the season and into the 2002 World Cup, where he again started well, but faded as Argentina fell at the first hurdle.



There was plenty of pressure on him at the start of his second season at Old Trafford, and his performances did seem to improve considerably, especially in the Champions League where he scored four goals and was at the heart of United's successes in the group stages. However, injury meant that he missed much of the end of the season, and that may have convinced Sir Alex Ferguson that he could do without the Argentinian.
When Chelsea came in for him following the arrival of billionaire Roman Abramovich, Verón claimed that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, but Ferguson was willing to let Chelsea talk to him, and he was eventually convinced by then Chelsea manger Claudio Ranieri that his future lay at Stamford Bridge, where he had much to prove. His transfer fee to Chelsea was about half that of his record-breaking transfer of just two years before, signed 4-years-deal, showing both the fall in the transfer market and the decline of his reputation.
Verón made an excellent start to his Chelsea career by scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 victory away at Liverpool, but, as in his two seasons with United, he fell away as the 2003-04 season progressed and made only 14 appearances for Chelsea. He was bothered by a back injury for most of the season, and even if he was fit, most Chelsea fans would have preferred Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele operating in midfield. Those 14 appearances and that one goal at Anfield would be all that Veron achieved in a Chelsea shirt, leading to Veron being regarded one of the worst flops in the history of the club. Certainly, Veron's failure - after the costly outlay in signing him - was a factor in Chelsea's decision to part ways with manager Ranieri.



After José Mourinho took over as manager following the season, Verón became the first casualty of Mourinho's promised cleanout of the Chelsea roster. He was loaned out to Inter, where he found the slow tempo and thoughtful game to his liking much more than the physical, energetic, "attack at all costs" mentality of the English Premier League, for the 2004-05 season, and from 24 June 2005 he subsequently returned to Inter on loan for a further two seasons, which finished the contract with Chelsea F.C.. With Inter, he won the 2005 and 2006 Coppa Italia.
In mid 2006, when he expressed his desire of returning to his home country, he received offers from Boca Juniors and River Plate, but he preferred to return to his first team, announcing on June 5, that he would play for Estudiantes in the 2006-07 season.
In 2004, he was chosen for the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances.
Verón has Italian citizenship. He also has a tattoo of Che Guevara on his right arm.

PROFILE:

Full name: Juan Sebastián Verón
DOB: March 9, 1975
Birthplace: La Plata, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
EU passport: No
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Club: CA Estudiantes La Plata
Position: Midfielder [R, L, C]
Number:
Contract Expires:
Previous Clubs: Estudiantes de La Plata > Boca Juniors > Sampdoria > Parma > Lazio > Manchester Utd > (£15m) Chelsea > Internazionale > Estudiantes La Plata
International debut: June 1996, v Poland
Caps: 55
Goals: 9
World Cups: France 1998, Japan-Korea 2002
Palmares:

• Argentinian Second Level League (95)
  
• Italian Cup (99, 00, 06)
  
• UEFA Cup (99)
  
• European Supercup (99)
  
• Italian Serie A (00)
  
• Italian Supercup (00, 05)
  
• English League (03)
  
• Italian Cup (05)
  

A red-faced village cricket team have blamed a "dodgy wicket" after 10 of their batsmen were out for a duck and the last man was left stranded on nought. Goldsborough 2nds went into bat against table-topping Dishforth in North Yorkshire's Nidderdale Amateur League knowing they would be in for a tough game. But they expected at least one of their batsmen to trouble the scorers. Goldsborough did escape the ignominy of finishing their innings on zero, thanks to five extras from the generous Dishforth bowlers, who removed their opponents inside 12 overs. They were also spared the title of English cricket's worst-ever side, thanks to Midlands team Shepstone, who were all out for four extras in 1931. Goldsborough chairman Henry Webster did his best to defend his players, saying:

It was a very, very dodgy wicket. When Dishforth came in to bat, they only needed six but they were 0 for two at one point - and we dropped two catches as well. It could have been nought for four.

What he failed to mention was that Dishforth put their worst batsmen in first to try to give their beleaguered rivals a sporting chance - taking seven balls to wrap up an eight-wicket win.
Goldsborough captain Peter Horseman was a little more realistic, admitting:

It was surreal and embarrassing. We almost got a run but the batsman turned it down because he'd just been hit on the foot the ball before.

Horseman's opposite number, Steve Wilson said:

If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have thought it was possible.

Gavin Hardisty was the pick of the Dishforth bowlers, finishing with figures of 7-0, while Gary Lawson was the game's top scorer with five. Chairman Webster refused to be disheartened by the performance, adding:

This team were 210-2 a few weeks ago. They can bat. One of the players hit 109 not out. They really are not that bad. It's not something we're proud of but we have to look on the funny side of it.

And England thought they had problems.

Roberto Fabián Ayala is an Argentinian soccer player, who currently plays for the Spanish team Valencia. He plays in central defence. At club level, Ayala has played for Ferrocarril Oeste (1991-94), River Plate (1994-95), Napoli (1995-98), and Milan (1998-2000).
Ayala played for Argentina at the 1996 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal. He played for Argentina in the 1998 World Cup and was a non-playing squad member in the 2002 competition due a last minute injury. He was then selected as an over-age player as Argentina won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Ayala was also named to the Argentine squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but unfortunately, he missed a penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Germany.



Playing for Valencia, he reached the final of the 2001 UEFA Champions League, but lost the match to Bayern Munich on penalties. The next year, Valencia won the 2001-02 Spanish La Liga but once again lost in the final of the Champions League, getting beaten by Real Madrid. In the 2003-04 season, Valencia once again won the Spanish La Liga and added the UEFA Cup to their trophy cabinet. In the 2004-05 season a number of injuries kept Ayala from playing in much of the Liga campaign and he also missed out on the UEFA Super Cup 2004 victory over Porto. In his absence Valencia's results suffered.
Ayala is regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world. He is a leader and until recently was the captain of his national side.


PROFILE:

Full name: Roberto Fabián Ayala
DOB: April 14, 1973
Birthplace: Parana, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
EU passport: No
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Club: Valencia CF
Position: Defender [C]
Number: 4
Contract Expires: ?
Previous Clubs: Ferrocarril Oeste > River Plate > Napoli > Milan > Valencia
International debut: November 1994, v Chile
Caps: 100
Goals: 6
World Cups: France 1998, Japan-Korea 2002, Germany 2006
Palmares:

• Olympic Games (04)
  
• UEFA Cup (04)
  
• European Super Cup (04)
  
• Argentinian Torneo de Apertura (94)
  
• Italian Serie A (99)
  
• Spanish Liga Primera (02, 04)
  

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born May 24, 1966) is a French former footballer of the 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years, including two league and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major 'talismanic' role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as Eric the King.


Eric Cantona in an advert for Nike. Cantona was born in the same year as England's World Cup triumph.

Career

France

Cantona was born and grew up in Marseille. His first club was AJ 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 FC 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 Olympique de Marseille (also known as "L'OM") for a French record fee. He quite often showed signs of being 'short tempered'. During a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow Cantona ripped off and threw away his jersey after being substituted. His club responded by banning him for a month. A few weeks later he insulted the coach of the national team on TV and despite apologising was banned from internationals for a year.
Cantona moved to Bordeaux on loan and then to Montpellier. At Montpellier, a fight with one of his team-mates 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.
At Marseille however, Cantona was continually at odds with the chairman Bernard Tapie, and despite helping the team win the French Division 1 title, he was transferred to Nimes the following season. During a game he threw the ball at the referee, having been angered by one of his decisions. The French FA banned him for a month. Cantona responded by insulting each member once again, and his ban was increased to 2 months. For Cantona this was the last straw and he decided to retire from football in 1991.
Thanks to pressure from high profile football fans Cantona was persuaded to make a comeback and moved to England to restart his career.

England

After having originally come to England for a trial with Sheffield Wednesday, in February 1992 Cantona joined Leeds United, where he helped them win the old First Division championship that season (1991-92). The following November, he was transferred to Manchester United for a relatively small fee of 1.2 million pounds.
United's season had been disappointing up to then, as they had had problems scoring goals, partly caused by the sale of Mark Robins and an injury to Dion Dublin. However, Cantona quickly settled into the team, not only scoring many goals but also creating chances for the other players. For the next two years, United went on an amazing run, winning the inaugural Premiership in 1993 (their first Championship title for 26 years) and then "the double" in 1994, with Cantona's two penalties helping them to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the F.A. Cup Final.


Eric Cantona kicks Crystal Palace fan Simmons.

Cantona then 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 kick against an allegedly abusive Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons. At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous quote. As the journalists gathered to hear him speak, Cantona entered the room, sat down and said, in a slow and deliberate manner:

When the seagulls... follow the trawler... it's because they think... sardines will be thrown into the sea" (referring to the British press being the seagulls).

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.
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, as in 1992-93, their prospects of winning the league were not looking good. After Ryan Giggs (the one player Cantona claimed had a telepathic understanding with him) had been upended, Cantona scored a penalty against Liverpool in his first game after the ban, and his goals helped United to recapture the league having been twelve points behind Newcastle United in January 1996, virtually going on a one man crusade for the championship title at several important junctures. Often, it would be a spate of 1-0 wins for United with Cantona the goal scorer. Fittingly, he also scored the same 1-0 winning goal in that year's F.A. Cup Final, scoring in his last game of the season against the team he played against in his first game of the season, Liverpool . 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 were the first team to win "the double" twice.
Cantona galvanised the United team to greater success in Europe the following year, with the likes of Ryan Giggs & 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 six league titles in seven years, the exception being the 1995 season which he had largely missed through suspension. At the end of an admittedly lacklusture season by his standards, his announcement that he was retiring from football at the age of 30 still came as a surprise. Shortly afterwards, he became captain of the French National Beach Football team.
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.



French National Team

The Art of Game painting featuring Eric Cantona, Phillip Neville, Gary Neville, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Having made his international début against West Germany in August 1987, Eric Cantona was the favourite of then French team manager Michel Platini, who claimed that Cantona would be selected as long as he was playing competitive top class football. Platini also initiated Cantona's move to England. They failed to win a single game in the European Championship, held in Sweden in 1992, despite the striking partnership of Cantona and Jean-Pierre Papin. Platini resigned after the finals to be replaced by Gerard Houllier.
France then failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A., after losing the final game 2:1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would suffice. David Ginola lost the ball in the game which led to Bulgaria's winning goal by Emil Kostadinov. Gerard Houllier resigned and Aimé Jacquet took over. Eric Cantona was reportedly angry with Ginola after the game.
Jacquet began to rebuild the national team in preparation for Euro 96 (the 1996 European Championship) and appointed Cantona as the captain. Cantona held this position 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, Jacquet had revamped the team with some new blood, including Zinedine Zidane, around whom the team was now built. Cantona was never again selected for the French team and missed Euro 96. 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. The decision was vindicated as Les Bleus subsequently won the World Cup in 1998.


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 cameo 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. In a worldwide advertising campaign during the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he starred as the organiser of "underground" games between football superstars like Thierry Henry, 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, Cantona appears as the lead spokeman for the "Joga Bonito" organization, an association destined to eliminate acting and fake play from football. He also starred in an Irish Euromillions advertisement.
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.
Cantona's achievements in the English League were marked in 2002 when he was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame.

Quotes

By him

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

I didn't study; I live. You can't study these things - life teaches them to you. You don't find them in a book......I've read a lot of Socrates on page three of the Sun.

Sometimes in life one experiences an emotion which is so strong that it is difficult to think, or to reason. Sometimes you get submerged by emotion. I think it's very important to express it - which doesn't necessarily mean hitting someone. I am very mistrustful of people who are constantly overintellectualising things. It kills passion. You have to allow yourself to lose control from time to time.

I feel close to the rebelliousness and vigour of the youth here. Perhaps time will separate us, but nobody can deny that here, behind the windows of Manchester, there is an insane love of football, of celebration and of music.

When you are a rich man you are proud to own a Rolls Royce and when you are a poor man you are proud to own a Renault

After his first training session in heaven, George Best, from his favourite right wing, turned the head of God who was filling in at left-back. I would love him to save me a place in his team - George Best that is, not God.

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

I am God.

Joga Bonito!

I don't play against a particular team. I play against the idea of losing.

About him

How to create space, and then weave past a couple of defenders, McClair, here's Cantona! He's done it! That is magnificent by Cantona. And after all his problems, and his lack of form, and the criticism that's come his way, there is the perfect riposte.

- Commentator for Manchester United F.C. vs. Sunderland A.F.C. match at Old Trafford, 21st of December, 1996.

I'd give all the champagne I've ever drunk to be playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford.

- George Best pays a fine compliment to Eric

Collar turned up, back straight, chest stuck out, he glided into the arena as if he owned the fucking place. Any arena, but nowhere more effectively than Old Trafford. This was his stage. He loved it, the crowd loved him.

- Roy Keane


PROFILE:

Name: Eric Cantona
Height: 6.02
Weight: 14.00
Date of birth: 24-05-1966
Place of birth: Marseille,France
Position: Forward
Nationality: France
International Caps: 45
International Goals: 20