FANS and pundits alike have been scratching their heads for almost 30 years trying to figure out what Eric Cantona was talking about during his bizarre seagull rant – but now he has revealed all.
The Manchester United legend spouted the seemingly nonsensical monologue when he was asked to explain his infamous “kung-fu kick” on a Crystal Palace fan in 1995.
Cantona had already established himself as a break from the norm both on and off the pitch.
But it still didn’t stop mass confusion when he explained his fan attack at Selhurst Park, which saw him banned for NINE MONTHS, by discussing seagulls.
He said: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”
Laughter and noises of confusion followed in the press room when Cantona uttered the strange proverb, and now the 57-year-old has finally broken his silence on what he meant.
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Speaking on French TV ‘C dans l’air’, he said: “I didn’t want to but (Manchester United) 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.
“You know, (the press) destroyed me. But in a way I have had my revenge.
“They were all trying to find a meaning and they all asked me to explain and I said nothing.”
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He later added: “They wanted me to speak, I spoke. It just came out and then I left. And the press, they all tried to find a sense to it and make it all philosophical.
“You know, it just came out like that; maybe it came from my subconscious and maybe unconsciously it created a sense, but the best sense of it was, you make me speak, I speak and who cares whether the words make sense.”
Former France international Cantona was initially given a two-week prison sentence for his attack on Place fan Matthew Simmons, but saw his punishment reduced to 120 hours of community service following an appeal.
Now “The King” has since branched his career out into acting and singing and even released his own album.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
