When King Eric made his comeback
Wednesday 01 October 2025 09:00
Sometimes, when looking back, things can seem very black and white.
Football has always been about 11 players, not any one individual, and yet, Eric Cantona was the man who changed everything at Manchester United.
The Frenchman will always be described as a catalyst for the success in the 1990s, as Alex Ferguson made a masterstroke in the transfer market to land the enigmatic centre-forward from fierce rivals Leeds United.
It is not an exaggeration to say he would, as the cliche has it, produce at least one moment of sheer genius in every match that would justify the admission fee.
Eric Cantona was back with his flicks and tricks.
An artist on the field, full of flicks and tricks but also purpose and end product, it was accepted he crossed the line when assaulting a Crystal Palace supporter at Selhurst Park in January 1995.
The provocation may have earned sympathy from many a United fan but it was inevitable he would be punished for the indiscretion and, when it came, it was severe. Although, outside of the game, a prison sentence was initially handed down (reduced to community service), the decision from the club to suspend our talisman for the rest of the season did seem an appropriate response.
However, the FA extended the ban to eight months, which meant he would also be missing for the start of the 1995/96 campaign.
But for West Ham United’s Ludek Miklosko having the game of his life on the final day of the Premier League term at Upton Park, and Neville Southall producing similar heroics in the FA Cup final for Everton, we may have done a second successive Double.
Instead, we ended up with nothing and it was an empty feeling that presided over the summer.
Two of the best all-time goalkeeping performances against us had contributed hugely to the lack of silverware but the overriding feeling was clearly that we missed that extra spark, the confidence and arrogance, the sheer belief that we would win, which the talismanic Cantona provided.
Eric had turned a side that had blown the last Division One title with it seemingly in our grasp, into winners and, without him, it made sense to fans that this was what had been the key difference in those horrible final six days of 1994/95.
So the following season started with similar trepidation, exacerbated by the fact Ferguson decided to sell Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes, three hugely popular players, and entrust untried youngsters with getting the club back to winning ways.
Time would show it was absolute folly to ever question the great man but the opening-day defeat at Aston Villa, followed by BBC pundit Alan Hansen’s proclamation that you never win anything with kids, made the mood particularly apprehensive.
The way we look back at what would ultimately be our second Double is that Cantona came back and galvanised the team, starting from where he left off and scoring loads of important goals, particularly in 1-0 victories, before slamming in that volley against Wembley to defeat Liverpool in the cup final.
That does some injustice to the players who, without him, embarked on a five-game winning run in the league after the Villa defeat, before a goalless draw at Sheffield Wednesday left us in third place as the calendar moved to October.
United 2 Liverpool 2 Video
United 2 Liverpool 2
1 October 1995: The Return of the King. Eric Cantona made his comeback, after serving an eight-month ban…
And this is what we were all waiting for.
1 October 1995, thirty years ago to this day.
It could have been scripted that Liverpool would provide the opposition and the mood was euphoric. Eric was back and the ground was awash with French tricolours. Amid an incredible atmosphere from the first whistle, with two minutes gone, Cantona supplied the assist for Nicky Butt to open the scoring and bring the house down.
Robbie Fowler seemed intent on spoiling the party and produced two clinically taken efforts to turn the game on its head.
Doubts emerged again but, for all his lack of match sharpness, Cantona was on the field and capable of providing the same level of reassurance he had given in helping propel the Reds to the title in 1993 and 1994.
A moment that will live long in the memory of all those at Old Trafford.
In the 71st minute, Jamie Redknapp brought Ryan Giggs down inside the box, after a typically fast raid by the Reds.
Step forward our no.7. There was only ever going to be one outcome as he tucked the ball past David James and squared things at 2-2.
Cue bedlam and Cantona encroaching into the crowd again, this time swinging around the goal stanchion as he lapped up the acclaim of those who adored him.
Eric was back, the swagger returned and United went on to conquer all before us domestically again, doing the Double.
Cantona spearheaded the Reds to another league win in 1997 before sensationally retiring at the age of 30, meaning, remarkably, he won the title in each of his four full seasons at Old Trafford, in addition to the year before joining with Leeds.
Wednesday 01 October 2025 09:00
Back to Top
