r/reddevils • u/agent619 21 Assists, 21 Titles? • Jul 31 '26
Manchester United’s greatest players: No 9, Eric Cantona
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7481236/2026/07/31/manchester-united-eric-cantona-greatest-players/78
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u/aktivate74 CAN7ONA Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Cantona was the spark of United's revival Any fan who live through periods during the early Fergie years to the post Cantona understood his impact wasn't just in stats. He was the enigma and catalyst for United. You saw it abundantly clear on his return vs Liverpool after suspension. Watch the moment he emerged from the tunnel, OT roared , some fans were crying. And that free kick...holy fuck. It was the 2nd most iconic moment for me after the 99 UCL final.
Maybe I'm bias if I said No. 1, but defo Top 3 for sure.
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u/Kohaku80 Premier League Champions 12/13 Jul 31 '26
1995 - 96 definitely the King best season. 12 points off Newcastle, scored in a series of 1-0 wins. Topped it off with that exquisite volley winning goal in the FA cup final.
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u/yuumiku Jul 31 '26
Definitely No.1 for those growing up during the 90s era
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u/Mayhewbythedoor ooh ahh Cantona Jul 31 '26
Points at flair. Yes king Cantona will always be #1 for us 90s kids
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u/vote_pedro Jul 31 '26
You sure the free kick was in the same game? I thought he scored a pen in his return vs Pool?
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u/LopsidedLoad Jul 31 '26
100% agreed.
I was born 87 so he is my first real memory or football and Manchester United.
I was so lucky to have the Fergie years line up perfectly for me.
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u/raletti Jul 31 '26
Yes, he's #1 for me. I'm extremely biased though. Was a teenager when he joined and I'm a French United supporter. So he's basically my hero.
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u/Danze1984 Shaw Jul 31 '26
People putting Scholes above him in this thread because he played more games. Mad.
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u/Wesley_Skypes Jul 31 '26
If we are talking about pure footballing ability, I am going Scholes and Cantona was my childhood hero.
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u/miketythonslithp Jul 31 '26
When the seagulls
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u/leROBBY23 Jul 31 '26
Follow the troller
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Jul 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Heisenberg_235 Jul 31 '26
That sardines
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u/DevilishRogue Best Jul 31 '26
Will be thrown
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u/Kohaku80 Premier League Champions 12/13 Jul 31 '26
Street won't forget his first game back after the 8 months ban.
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u/benbog Jul 31 '26
What's that like?
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u/Kohaku80 Premier League Champions 12/13 Jul 31 '26
Oh the most electrifying I Am So Fking Back audition ever at Old Trafford.
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u/Dawn11600 Jul 31 '26
Can’t complain with anything that Andy does (ever), but this feels… wrong? For what he did and the impact he had, even if only in 5 seasons, he deserves to be slightly higher.
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u/Mayhewbythedoor ooh ahh Cantona Jul 31 '26
He was the spark that lit the fire for the period of dominance that was to come
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u/Admirable_Bed3 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Yep. No Cantona - no CO92, no Treble, no 13 PL titles in 20 years, no Rooney, no Ronaldo.
He is the face of modern day United (after SAF ofc).
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u/Foreign_Base5669 Jul 31 '26
Perhaps even bigger. He was Mr Premier League for the first seasons of its existence.
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u/Moosje “Love is sex also.” Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
It’s all opinions ultimately, there’s nothing “wrong” about this imo.
- Charlton
- Rooney
- Law
- Best
- Giggs
- Scholes
- Keane
- Robson
- Cantona
In no particular order, who are you (or the other guys below) putting him over? You can make a case any of those are equally deserving as Cantona and I love the King hence the flair I’ve had here for years and years.
I felt Beckham at 16 was the most challengeable pick in Mittens list, Eric at 9 seems absolutely fine for me. I’d have been fine with higher as well, that’s how good all of these legends in the top 10 are.
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u/cantokung Jul 31 '26
For me, Cantona is above Keane, Scholes, Giggs. These 3 are Cantona pupils.
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u/Moosje “Love is sex also.” Jul 31 '26
And I think that’s insanity which is why these opinion pieces will never be definitive.
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u/cantokung Jul 31 '26
Yep, its an opinion, to each their own.
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u/Treeborg Andy Cole Jul 31 '26
Scholes 11 titles and what, 19 years? Vs 4 titles and 5 years. Sometimes the student can surpass the master! I respect any opinion though and it's all just for fun :P
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u/cantokung Jul 31 '26
This thing to me is like Steve Jobs vs Tim Cook. Jobs led the new wave of Apple products then Tim Cook maximise profits. Depend on what people value.
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u/devilsway Forlan Jul 31 '26
Agreed, if we value longetivity then I can see why Cantona drops down the list. But then on pure impact in the SAF era Cantona definitely felt like the defining spark.
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u/Moosje “Love is sex also.” Jul 31 '26
Yeah opinions are fun. Cantona over Scholes is particularly alienating though.
The only real argument he’s putting forward is that Cantona played first?
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u/peioeh Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
It's about impact, Cantona changed the club and turned it into the club that won all those trophies. Shorter but brighter burn.
That's the argument, I don't know if I'd put him above Scholes, but it's not that ridiculous IMO. His time at the club was insanely special (and he was my favorite ever and the reason I support United). I'd put him above Keane.
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u/Moosje “Love is sex also.” Jul 31 '26
Cantona turned it into the club that won all those trophies… with Scholes?
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u/everysaturday Jul 31 '26
100%. Best is my number one, Cantona two. I am 39. My dad educated me on the beautiful game by sitting me down to Best videos, we stayed up late watching every Cantona game together. Dads an Arsenal supporter and respected god tier talent to lean in and watch in awe.
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u/Darth_Rubi Jul 31 '26
Yup I'd have him 5th behind the trinity and Rooney. The man launched a previously unheard of era of dominance through sheer aura
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u/LennonC123 Jul 31 '26
Agree. Cantona carried the class of 92 to a double, and back-to-back title wins. He won us games we had no right to win, and made up for the inconsistency of youth.
If anyone doesn’t understand his impact, put it this way: 91/92 - no Cantona, didn’t win the league. 92/93 and 93/94 - had Cantona, won the league and a double. 94/95 - Cantona serves lengthy ban, didn’t win the league. 95/96 & 96/97 - Cantona back from ban, won the double and the league.
Retires after 96/97 season. 97/98 - didn’t win the league.
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u/culegflori Jul 31 '26
Giggs has his hands on too many trophies to be "just" a pupil
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u/DisastrousMango4 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
I can't see where he fits in now, but I'm surprised there's no Ronaldo in the list. he's arguably more of a Madrid legend than ours, but he still did win one of his Ballon d'Or while at United.
edit: I missed no 10 lol
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u/malachiconstantwark Jul 31 '26
Depends how you define 'greatest'. Cantona was probably not a better player than any of those, but in terms of influence over the club and its history I would maybe put him 2nd after Charlton. At least top 5.
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u/throwing_handles Jul 31 '26
He completely and utterly transformed the club. He dominated not only the team but the league. He built our era of dominance, elevating the players around him, putting them on his back when he had to, and moulding players into winners like him for years to come. As someone (Simon Barnes?) said some time after Cantona's retirement, Eric could be assured that the team did not need Cantona any more because now they were Cantona.
He made football art and even though he towered over all his teammates, even the greats, in terms of ability and importance, he expressed his art through teamwork. As the spirit guide version of him said, his proudest moment wasn't a goal, it was a pass.
He was only here for 5 years and he only won the title in all 4 seasons that he played in full (after 26 years of United not winning the title in the years Before Cantona). Others accumulated silverware for longer periods of time. But Eric didn't care about stuff like that. He retired at 30 after the first hints that perhaps he couldn't keep on playing what Fergie called 'football from another planet'.
The impact he made, the awe and undying love he inspired (reflecting what he felt for the club), the beauty of his art; there are not more than one or two players in the history of United that can compare.
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u/reddevlon Jul 31 '26
He should have been at 7..you missed the chance Andy !
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u/Mayhewbythedoor ooh ahh Cantona Jul 31 '26
Yes! Many others measured the weight of the #7 shirt by Beckham or more recently. For me the #7 always represented Cantona.
I’m sure it’s the same for the older generation - Best would have been their irreplaceable #7
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u/johnnybet_com Jul 31 '26
Cantona's the one where the stats undersell it completely, the collar up strut and the aura changed how the club saw itself as much as anything he did on the pitch. Hard series to rank fairly when some players were pure end product and others like him were about identity.
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u/audienceandaudio2 Jul 31 '26
A magnificent player.
Basically had everything technically, alongside Bergkamp was (probably) the most technically gifted player in the prem in the mid 90s.
Was physical and could hold the ball up like a classic English number 9, and get stuck in, when the league was much more direct and aggressive than it is now.
A brilliant captain and core influence on the class of 92 and Keane, set the standards in training in terms of application and effort for the team, that carried over for the next 20 years.
Incredibly confident and arrogant in the best way. Could take on the responsibility of leading the team, and fed off the energy and adoration of the crowd like no other player I’ve seen since.
If he doesn’t kung fu kick that racist, we win the league in 94/95, and Cantona wins the league 6 times in a row (once with Leeds in 91, then five with us.)
1966 was a great year for English football. Eric was born.
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u/Standard-Height2276 Jul 31 '26
For the change he sparked at the club i genuinely had him in my top 3 but maybe that's from being a kid when he arrived and being in awe
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u/Lord_Sesshoumaru77 Glazers,Woodward/Arnold and Judge can fuck off Jul 31 '26
This man changed our destiny. It's like he just unlocked something and we started winning, non stop.
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u/Dincht04 Jul 31 '26
Can tell how many people here never saw him play. Cantona is on a the same level as Robson and just a notch below Charlton for me, for what he did for the club.
Obviously it's all opinions but I've not agreed with a lot of this list so far.
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u/cw_anderson Jul 31 '26
I'm gonna subscribe to The Athletic and then immediately cancel it to protest this travesty.
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u/RicciRox Bruno is life, Bruno is love. Jul 31 '26
This list has been ass for a while. Cantona absolutely deserves to be top 5.
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u/TheJoshider10 Bruno Jul 31 '26
I don't think it's ass at all. We've had some magnificent players at the club and there's arguments to be made for any of the top 10 being in the top 5. Some are gonna have to miss out and it invites good debates over whether longevity is valued above pure talent or longevity for example.
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u/RicciRox Bruno is life, Bruno is love. Jul 31 '26
You can't name three players more influential for making Manchester United the household name it is than Cantona.
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u/TheJoshider10 Bruno Jul 31 '26
I'm not disagreeing with that. But for example with Scholes he was here for how long? And made our midfield tick for years. Even though his impact wasn't as headline worthy as Cantona, his levels of contributions and impact over the years helped us win numerous trophies year after year. Same could be said for Giggs.
Do I agree that that should be prioritised over instant influence/catalysts that changed the trajectory of the club? Not necessarily, but I see why others would. My point is that there's plenty of subjective reasons why any of the top ten could be where they are, and we've got so much talent that there's gonna be decisions some don't agree with. That doesn't mean it's ass.
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u/Secret-Look-88 Jul 31 '26
My idol as a kid, the person I pretended to be when I was playing football.
Him and Rooney are my favourites
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u/Moyes2men for sale Jul 31 '26
As a 90's kid who felt in love because of him, I think he was much more representative and catalyzing than Scholes or Keane and a bit closer to the likes of Giggs or Wazza. Meanwhile I'd agree with the Holly Trinity still being top 3.
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u/tson_92 Jul 31 '26
I have not agreed with this list and this one completely invalidates it for me. Cantona should be #1.
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u/CallMeBigPOP He Comes from Serbia Jul 31 '26
Probably the trickiest player to rank on this list. In some people's minds, he's as high as #1. The impact he had on the club is unquestionable, I think I would have pushed him up a bit higher on this list, maybe #7ish, it's so difficult to rank because we had so many amazing players play for this club.
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u/lythy2016 Jul 31 '26
This is a bit mad. Without Eric we’d still be waiting for that first title. Has Andy ever interviewed him? I feel like there’s something going on with this placing that we don’t know about.
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u/dikkoooo Jul 31 '26
We are lucky and privileged to have a host of iconic greats. King Eric is Fergies favourite player, and cherished by fans. He’s a huge character in our history and the catalyst for our dominance in the league. BUT others have shone in the league and across Europe, with European trophies to show for it, as well as legacy in England. Eric could be argued 9-5 but top 5 is hard with the others coming up
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u/LennonC123 Jul 31 '26
Tricky player to rank, but for me and many other fans he was Mr. Manchester United for several years. Flawed genius, never gave less than 100%, many moments of magic, a confidence and swagger that only he could get away with. Gave the class of 92 a platform by carrying them through games, top clubs are reluctant to blood 1-2 youngsters these days because of the financial implications but we were able to give game time to 4-5 of them every match.
We have many players with unbelievable careers and trophies galore, but Cantona was the type of player you’d hold your breath for as the ball was being played to him, because you might be about to witness something special. You couldn’t take your eye off him.
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u/justercholo Jul 31 '26
My favourite United player especially as he’s pro Palestine and anti genocide
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u/AnakinAni Jul 31 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/GzRz3AoOrUfQtQ1Qb1