Cantona's Kick - Twenty Years On

''When the seagulls follow the trawler, its because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea''.

And with those words uttered at a press conference after the event, Eric Cantona immortalised himself into football folklore for years to come.

Selhurst Park, 25th January 1995. Crystal Palace v Manchester United.

Twenty years to be exact since that dark night in South London, when the Frenchman launched himself across the barriers into the chest of Palace fan Matthew Simmons.

During a somewhat edgy match between the South Londoners and the reining Premier League champions, the setting for what was to occur couldn't have been more perfect, a cold dark night in a somewhat ramshackle of a ground with its players tunnel in the corner, unusually filled to full capacity thanks to United's lure in the Capital, the then Palace manager, Alan Smith was to say, ''United were some team. They were big men. The all black kit and unshaven faces giving them a menacing edge'',

After much needle through the match Cantona finally fed up with the Palace defender Richard Shaw's attempts to wind him up finally fell into the trap and lashed out receiving a straight red in the process. Led down the touchline past the home fans towards the tunnel by the United kit man Norman Davies, Cantona hears, stops, turns and the rest is history.

Simmons, twenty years of age at the time had raced down eleven flights of stairs to supposedly shout at the red carded Manchester United player, ''off you go Cantona, its an early bath for you''. Simmons claim at the time to have said those words didn't seem plausible, twenty years on they read as nothing but comic. According to witnesses, a number of which seems to grow more and more with each passing year, claim the Londoner's words were more like, ''f*** off back to France you French motherf*****'', there was ensuing abuse directed towards Cantona's mother too which has since been claimed as been unprintable.

With the twentieth anniversary of the infamous kick now upon us, there has been a lot of words printed and much said on the matter, much drawing divided opinion as to the way the moment has since been documented and discussed on to the point where some critics believe it is wrongly celebrated.
But discussed and 'celebrated' it will be for many years yet as it was such a defining and monumental moment, in a premier league era that was only three years old.

Quite a few people have made money off the back of it to a somewhat unsettling level.
Ned Kelly who was in charge of United's security throughout the nineties until he was released due to reports of ticket scams, is never shy from talking about how it was he who accompanied Cantona to his court case and various other appointments during the eight month ban, the referee on the night Alan Wilkie went onto release his autobiography bizarrely titled 'One Night at the Palace', although apart from brandishing the red card it is quite difficult to understand what further part Wilkie had to play in the ensuing drama, and the lady whose horrified face was caught on camera at the time as she attempted to shield her two children away from the unfolding horrors is never too far away to describe in great detail how she feared for her life.

Was he right to commit what he did, was he wrong, is up for discussion and will forever be so, Cantona himself in an interview in 2011, said ''it was a great memory and a memory I'm happy for fans to treasure, but..it was a mistake''. And celebrate it they do, a walk around Old Trafford on match day amongst the stalls selling various pieces of unofficial merchandise you are somewhat spoilt for choice on Cantona themed t-shirts depicting the 'kick'.

Somewhat unfairly compared to Luis Suarez and his multiple accounts of bites on fellow professionals, it is possibly best compared to Zinadine Zidane's infamous headbutt on the Italian Marco Materazzi towards the end of the World Cup final in 2006 for derogatory comments which had reportedly been said against himself, his mother and his family's heritage.

Cantona like Zidane were quite mystique figures, cool and withdrawn yet adored and idolised, the actions have been held up as moments when the defenceless' actions were actually defendable. 

Wrong it may of been, he did leave the field of play to enter a 'no-'go' area and confront a fan, but it is to Cantona's credit and enduring appeal that it is just remembered as a moment and not what he's career is defined as, coming back stronger against all odds to lead Alex Ferguson's team of 'kids' to a double of Premier League title and FA Cup, scoring the all important late winner at Wembley against arch rivals Liverpool.

Other players with various characteristics would have wilted and disappeared to new surroundings after the incident. Cantona came back, kicked on and thrived. That right there is the true legacy from that night at the Palace.