Eric Cantona and the peaceful life after the historic kung-fu kick

Twenty years after causing one of the most famous scandals in football history, the former Man Utd striker is immersing himself in art, political activities and trying to distance himself from the old halo of football.

Cantona flew and kicked a Crystal Palace fan. Photo: AI

On this day in 1995, on a cold night at Selhurst Park, Cantona caused an explosion with a kick to a Crystal Palace fan. The shocking incident resulted in the former Manchester United striker being fined $15,000, suspended for eight months and given 120 hours of community service.

Cantona's kung-fu kick

Back on the pitch, the French legend enjoyed two more successful years under Alex Ferguson. New titles, goals and a distinctive, unchanged personality filled the stands. Then, abruptly, he retired from the pitch at the age of 30.

"The seagulls often fly behind the fishing boat, that's because they think the sardines will be thrown into the sea." The famous quote of the former Man Utd striker is still understood in many ways, but most of them think that he was angry with the British press. In fact, Cantona has always kept a low profile in front of the media since that shocking kung-fu incident. The man who was once praised as "The King", a symbol of the "Theatre of Dreams" after 20 years has turned his back on football, starting a new life with peace and quiet, although the halo of his football career is truly worthy of admiration.

Cantona with David Beckham, Denis Irwin, Nicky Butt and Roy Keane in the 1996 FA Cup final. Photo: Rexmail

Cantona lives in a magnificent house worth about 3 million dollars (more than 60 billion VND) in Fontanay-sous-Bois. He lives with his second wife Rachida Brakni and two children. Every day, Cantona still takes his children to school. He often stops by the wine shop a few hundred meters from his house. The salesman knows his customers, and as usual, he has chosen a bottle of Mersault 2010 for him. He had asked Cantona about football once many years ago, and knew that he should not do that again.

Cantona has lived on that Parisian street for more than 10 years, surrounded by neighbors of all kinds. The only football-related thing to be found in the former French footballer’s house is in the garden, where there is a small goal set up for his son to play.

Cantona's current passions are politics and cinema. The former Man Utd striker has starred in more than 20 art-house and documentary films since retiring from football. Cantona is now one of the icons of France, but not because of his achievements while playing for Man Utd.

Cantona with a scene from the movie "Les Children du Marais". Photo: Reuters

He started his political career and became influential. Cantona spoke out about the people's feelings and aspirations, about immigration and human rights. After the murder of 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo office, Cantona spoke out about religion on Euronews: "We should not see this as being against Islam. There are fanatics everywhere. It is about fighting terrorism in general."

The 48-year-old is also known as an excellent filmmaker. Cantona collaborated with Canal+ to produce a series of quality documentaries that made the French people think about the future of their country.

A few weeks ago, a film produced by Cantona, “Football and Immigration – 100 Years of History,” was released, causing a stir. Legendary Zinedine Zidane shed tears in a final scene, acknowledging his Algerian roots and the hardships his family went through when they moved to France in the 1950s.

"He makes documentaries, films that have a strong social media connection with people in France," said one Frenchman. "He is very respected for his views on society. A lot of people follow him."

Cantona in the movie "Mookie". Photo: Reuters

At 48, Cantona has a full life, but not in the lavish way, with a series of young lovers like some other football stars. He always seeks peace, with passion for his two children and a wife who loves him very much.

"I like men who don't confine themselves to the norm. Eric is very strong and has a strong personality. I will easily forget a weak man, someone who always says 'yes' to any request. I need debate, disagreement and confrontation," Rachida once shared in a magazine.

Even though he changed his career and closed himself off from the media, Cantona's strong personality remained unchanged. He still did what he loved with a personality that was unlike anyone else's.

"What do you want me to say now," Cantona said when asked about his historic kick in 1995. "This is my life, good and bad. But what is good and what is bad? I can see myself today as a result of the decisions I made in the past. If I hadn't lived that way, I wouldn't be where I am now."

According to VnExpress