Eric Cantona

While fighting the armies of General Franco in the Spanish Civil War in 1938, Cantona's maternal grandfather, Pere Raurich, suffered a serious injury to his liver and had to retreat to France for medical treatment with his wife; they stayed in Saint-Priest, Ardèche, before settling in Marseille.

The site was chosen in the mid-1950s by Cantona's paternal grandmother, whose husband was a stonemason.

Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (Éric; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, singer and former professional footballer.

A large, physically strong, hard-working and tenacious player, Cantona combined technical skill and creativity with power and goalscoring ability.

Widely occupied as a deep-lying forward, he was also capable of playing as a centre-forward, as an out-and-out striker, as an attacking midfielder, or as a central midfielder on occasion.

Cantona was born in Marseille on 24 May 1966, the son of dressmaker Éléonore Raurich, and nurse and painter Albert Cantona.

His mother was Spanish and came from Barcelona, while his paternal grandfather was Italian and had emigrated to Marseille from Ozieri in Sardinia.

By the time Cantona was born in 1966, the hillside cave had become little more than a room in the family's house, which was now up to a habitable standard.

Cantona has two brothers: Jean-Marie, who is four years older, and Joël, who is 17 months younger.

began his football career with SO Caillolais, his local team and one that had produced such talent as Roger Jouve and had players such as Jean Tigana and Christophe Galtier within its ranks.

Originally, Cantona began to follow in his father's footsteps and often played as a goalkeeper, but his creative instincts began to take over and he would play up front more and more often.

In his time with SO Caillolais, Cantona played in more than 200 matches.

Cantona's first professional club was Auxerre, where he spent two years in the youth team before making his debut on 5 November 1983, in a 4–0 league victory over Nancy.

In 1984 his footballing career was put on hold as he carried out his national service.

On 14 May 1985, Cantona scored his first goal for Auxerre, scoring an open goal to put his team 2–0 up against Rouen in an important match to put pressure on AS Monaco.

On the final matchday of the season, Auxerre played Strasbourg, with Auxerre needing one point to secure qualification for the following seasons' UEFA Cup; 1–0 down at half-time, Cantona scored the equalising goal from 25 yards out and showed his talent to a wider audience for the first time.

After his discharge he was loaned out to Martigues in the French Second Division before rejoining Auxerre and signing a professional contract in 1986.

His performances in the First Division earned him his first full international cap.

The following year, Cantona was again in trouble because of a dangerous kung-fu tackle on Nantes player Michel Der Zakarian, resulting in a three-month suspension, this was later reduced to a two-month suspension as his club Auxerre threatened to make the player unavailable for selection in the national team.

He was part of the France under-21 side that won the 1988 U21 European Championship, scoring a hat-trick in a quarter-final against the England under-21 side, and shortly after he transferred to Marseille for a French record fee (FF22m).

Cantona had grown up as a Marseille fan.

In January 1989 during a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow he kicked the ball at the crowd, then ripped off and threw away his shirt after being substituted.

His club responded by banning him for a month.

He appeared at UEFA Euro 1992 and, in preparation for Euro 96, was appointed the nation's captain.

Charismatic and outspoken, Cantona's achievements in football were set against fall outs with coaches and team mates, and a poor disciplinary record throughout his career, including a 1995 conviction for an assault on an abusive spectator, for which he received a two-week prison sentence (reduced to community service on appeal) and an eight-month suspension from football.

In 1997, Cantona unexpectedly announced his retirement from football at the age of 30.

He pursued a career in cinema and had roles in the 1998 film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett; the 2008 film French Film, and the 2009 film Looking for Eric.

He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2003, Cantona was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside United magazine.

At the Premier League 10 Seasons Awards in 2003, he was voted the Overseas Player of the Decade.

Cantona was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.

In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

Cantona played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes, and Leeds United before ending his career at Manchester United, who he inspired to four Premier League titles in five years including two League and FA Cup Doubles.

He wore the iconic No. 7 shirt at Manchester United, and was known for turning up his collar – a trademark look.

He is also affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Eric".

Cantona won the league championship across England and France in seven of his last eight full seasons as a professional, and at least one trophy in eight of his last nine.

At international level, he played for the France national team and scored 20 goals in 45 matches.

Cantona took an interest in the sport of beach soccer; as player-manager of the France national beach soccer team, he won the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

In 2010, he debuted as a stage actor in Face au Paradis, a play directed by his wife, Rachida Brakni.

The Cantona family home was a cave in one of the hills in the Les Caillols area of Marseille, between the city's 11th and 12th arrondissements, and it was rumoured to have been used as a lookout post for the Wehrmacht towards the end of the Second World War.