Wednesday, May 16, 2007
blogger is back to normal. yay!!
anyway, i came across this interview transcript on redcafe.net : an interview with The King Eric Cantona!! yes, THE LEGEND, THE KING, and to some people LE DIEU (: so here are some excerpts..
King Eric: 10 years on
In a rare interview to mark a decade of retirement, the French superstar explains why he quit and gives his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson and Zinedine Zidane
Jean-Philippe Leclaire and Jérôme Cazadieu
+ You finished your football career 10 years ago, at only 30. Do you feel any nostalgia for the time when you were playing?
- It happens, yes. Nostalgia can be a pleasant feeling. Childhood memories, music, a smell can make us nostalgic. In football it is more an overall ambience than a game or a special stadium. The game, the dressing room, the field . . . When I went back on the pitch at Old Trafford for [the French television station] Canal+, it reminded me of memorable moments that I cannot live any more. However, we must not talk about that forever. There are other things in life.
+ What memories do you have of your last official game, on May 11, 1997?
- It was against West Ham. I had swapped my jersey with a guy. I heard that he sold it at an auction, probably for a charity. (He smiles.)
+ What did you feel when you left the field?Nothing. Because I wanted to quit. I had had enough. - And I was telling myself that I could come back if I wanted. I thought, ‘You are young. You train two months and you are back’. I kept on thinking that for a long time. Then, six months ago, I realised that even if I trained for two months, it would not be enough.
+ Why had you had enough of the game?
- I did not have the flame any more. Football was my life, my childhood passion. When the flame disappears, why continue? To go to the Middle East for €300 billion? I was not interested in that.
+ Did the fact you were not selected any more for the French national team hasten your decision?
- With the World Cup coming up in 1998, I certainly would not have stopped in 1997. If we had won the European Cup with Manchester that year, I probably would not have quit either.
+ Did you ever think of staying in football, becoming a coach, an agent or a TV commentator?
- For a long time, thinking I could come back as a player helped me. So today I think I can come back as a coach. I know the doors are still open. Therefore I will never come back. If they were closed, it would probably make me want to break them down.
+ When the flame was blown out, was it because of the game or the environment?
- The environment contributed a lot. Manchester was a lot about merchandising. Sometimes they need you to do a tape, give interviews, write books, take pictures . . . To avoid my image and name being used all over the place, I signed precise contracts with the club. I gave them the exclusivity on my pictures. However, they did not respect it. I went to see [Sir Alex] Ferguson, then the chairman [Martin Edwards] to talk about it. I told them: beware, things are happening.
One morning before a game, on my way to eat breakfast, I saw myself on the front page of a paper.
Some people do not care being on a tabloid’s front page. They are even proud of it. Well, it destroys me, even if I am on my way to play, it becomes more important than the game. I live it as treason. So on the day I said I was quitting, I told the club: “Okay, I quit, but you should know that I am still suing the merchandising.”
+Did you go to court?
- Of course. And I won.
+ You did not want to become a product?
- No. I asked them to take everything away. And it is gone now.
+ If you played today, it would be more difficult, wouldn’t it?
- The problem in Britain is that we cannot control anything. The country is great for many things, but is really ugly concerning everything linked to image, the press. It is not that it is hard to bear. I did it for five years, but it is sick.
+ When you quit, did you have a precise idea of what you would be doing 10 years later?
- I wanted to become an actor. However, I was not sure about anything. Ten years later, it makes me proud to be able to do films.
+ What room do you leave for football in your life today?
- None. The only room is in my head and memories.
+ What was the last game you went to see?
- It was last year at the Nou Camp for Barcelona v Valencia.
+ And on television?
- (He thinks for a while.) I remember seeing Roma against Lyon for the Champions League. But I do not like to watch games because it makes me want to play. And I do not want to depend on that feeling.
+ What do you think of Manchester United now?
- There is the football Manchester and the merchandising Manchester. These two worlds coexist, but
for me Manchester United is the club, it is football. A culture of the “beau jeu”, a philosophy that has been existing for years. How to win with class. I am still madly in love with it.+ What do you think about your successor in the legendary No 7 shirt, Cristiano Ronaldo. Is he worthy of it?
- Last season he did not score any goals. We had the impression he did not care. Something was missing. Now he scores and he is a new player. World class. One of the 10 best players on the planet. In modern football, playing as a team is very important, but we always need that kind of player who is going to strike out, to provoke.
+ Like Ronaldinho at Barcelona?
- Exactly. If the opposition can control your tactics, you need to be able to count on one individual who can make the difference.
+ Did it change you when you turned 40? Are you still the “French enfant terrible”?
- Is that how I was called? I do not think I changed a lot. I would still be able to jump on a guy in the stands.
+ You look calmer.
- I still occasionally blow a fuse. Even if I have learnt to know myself better with time. My ultimate goal is to be totally zen. I have always wanted that.
+ What would you want people to say about Eric Cantona the football player in 50 years?
- I lived football as it is supposed to be lived.
Like a game you have to play honestly. The first thing is to work hard, without losing the notion of pleasure. I hope that is what people will retain from me. With my dark sides as well.
(This article first appeared in L’Equipe’s special tribute to Eric Cantona. Translation by Camille Février)
My comments: CLASS. ELEGANT. how many other players can you find like that??
ooh aah cantona (:
i wasn't a man united supporter yet when he was at the peak of his career, but i've seen vids of The King and i have never been so amazed. the sheer arrogance fuses with his classiness in the game, making it more intrinsic than ever (: i'll never forget the lifting of the collar everytime he wants to score.
CANTONA = LEGEND
10:49 pm
