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Manchester United legend Eric Cantona made an amusing remark when asked if he had any regrets about his playing career. The Frenchman was speaking to Alan Shearer about his infamous ban in 1995.
The Red Devils locked horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in a Premier League fixture during the 1994-95 campaign. The game took place on January 25, 1995, and ended in a 1-1 draw. David May got on the scoresheet for Manchester United while Gareth Southgate found the back of the net for Palace.
United, under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, sat second in the Premier League table, two points behind Blackburn Rovers before they traveled to Selhurst Park.
During the second half of the game, Cantona received a red card after kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw. Before going into the tunnel, the Frenchman was ticked off by the words of a Palace fan and launched at him feet-first.
After attacking the supporter, Cantona received a nine-month ban by the FA and missed the remainder of the 1994-95 campaign for Manchester United. Blackburn Rovers, with legendary striker Alan Shearer leading their front line, went on to lift the title that season.
Speaking on the The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer asked Cantona whether he had any regrets during his playing days. The Frenchman offered an amusing reply and said:
"I have one regret. When I was banned in 95. If it didn't happen, you would've never won the Premier League."
Cantona's incident with the Crystal Palace fan led to one of the Premier League's most notorious bans and the assault has been labeled the 'Kung-Fu Kick'.
Manchester United icon Eric Cantona reveals reasoning behind bizarre 'seagulls' comment after kung-fu kick incident
Eric Cantona has finally opened up about his bizarre 'seagulls' comment he made at a press conference after his incident with the Crystal Palace fan. After an appeal hearing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court, Cantona was asked to make a comment on the attack.
He said:
“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”
Cantona's comments sent the footballing word into a flurry as people constantly attempted to make sense of the bizarre statement and understand its meaning. After years of speculation, Cantona has finally offered some insight into his words. The former Manchester United striker said on a French chat show in March (via talkSPORT):
"After the [court] judgment they [Manchester United] absolutely wanted me to speak to the press. I didn’t want to but they said it’s important you have to speak to the press. So I said, OK I will speak to the press, in the sense that they want me to speak – I’ll say any old thing. They wanted me to speak, I spoke. It just came out and then I left."
Cantona scored 81 goals and provided 62 assists in 184 appearances during his time at Manchester United, winning five Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
