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The brilliant white of Marseille's urban sprawl comes into view, a vivd contrast against the azure Meditterranean sky. In the centre of the city, thousands fill the streets to celebrate Bastille Day, the air a heady mix of the sulphur from spent fireworks and the salty sea spray.
Marseille owes everything to the sea. Manchester United fans owe much to Eri Daniel Pierre Cantona, who has asked FourFourTwo to come and meet him in his home city. Retracing the route of Cantonas grandfather, who was forced into exile from Francos Spain, we drive 300 miles from Barcelona, through the towns of Cantona's former clubs Montpellier, Nimes and Martigues, arriving exhausted but also wired, apprehensive. Cantona is a hero of your correspondant, and conventional wisdom has it that you should never meet your heroes.
We are instructed to go to a scruffy hotel amond discount stores in a seedy social housing project. Young gangs of lads in Olympique Marseille shirts throw tiny firecrackers to intimidate pedestrians.
Cantons family have helped to bring the FIFA beach Soccer World Cup to Marseille - it will begin in two days. Billboards advertise the tournament around Frances third city, while teams of men in Argentina and Japan tracksuits acclimatise by walking the streets, dodging the sleek trams and enjoying the attention their tracksuits bring - even though none of their faces are recognisable.
Cantona appears wearing a France shirt and a beard that greys around his chin. Hes taller, wider, and more imposing than you'd imagine. His eyebrows are formidable, his eyes dark and unfathomable. He seems distracted, guarded and wary as he weighs up the strangers near him.
With sadness, we tell him of the death of Norman Davies, the former Manchester United kitman who escorted him to the Selhurst Park tunnel after his infamous kung-fu kick in 1995. Many of Cantanos former team-mates had attended his funeral a week earlier. "No, no, no, no," is all he can say.
We've been told we'll have 10 minutes with Cantona, less than a third of what we'd been promised. As manager of the French beach soccer team, Cantona is extemely busy. But 10 minutes will not be enough, nowhere near, so we're understandbly unhappy. "Tomorrow morning" he agrees, thankfully. "We meet tomorrow when I have more time. Nine o'clock at the hotel"
Next morning, Cantona is on time, busy but more relaxed, though some questions unpredictably creat palable tension. He stays for over an hour, tete a tete, responding to your questions, smiling, laughing, frowning and thinking. Hes one hero you wouldn't hesitate to meet again.
What stands out most from your time growing up in Marseille? Were you a happy child or were you always frowning then too?
I was a happy child. We had a strong, close family, which gives you the best education you can get. We were working class and satisfied with small things in life. We were polite and always said please and thank you. We were respectful to others and enjoyed life. We sand, smiled, and loved. We were immigrants, Mediterranean people. My father came from Italy, my mother from Barcelona. I was there when I was a child to see my grandfather. I was 10 and liked it very much. He came to France after the Spanish Civil War. He was not allowed to return for 15 years under the Franco regime.
When I finished in Manchester, I went to live in Barcelona for three years, to relive those childhood memories. To read and live. I liked Barcelona [FFT:Have you read Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell] No, but I'd like to. Can you send it to me?
Now, I am in Marseille, a football city where OM [Olympique Marseille, another of Cantonas former teams] is like a religion. It's a cosmopolitan, passionate city and the people live for football.
Who was crazier: you or Guy Roux? And whats your favourite memory of your old manager?
I left my family in Marseille to go to Auxerre, which was 600 kilometres away. I was just 15. For us young players, Guy Roux was like a father. I liked him and respected him.
In somes clubs it is not so close, some coaches are not so close to their players, but Guy Roux made sure that Auxerre was like a big family. If I had moved to another club it may have been difficult. But at Auxerre I found my family.
What motivated you as a player? Money? Success? Glory?
Success and glory: whats the difference? [Long Pause] I think I retired so young because I wanted to improve every time, to be a better player. For myself and the team. To win trophies. To have a feeling of improving. When I retired, I felt that I couldn't improve anymore. And I lost the passion at the same time. The passion comes with the motivation of improving. If you lose the passion, you lose the motivation.
Money? No. If someone asked you to pay £100 to play in an FA Cup final, would you pay or not? So it was a dream for me to play because I did not have to pay. We were paid, but I would have played for nothing. There is lots of money involved in football and the players take their share, which is normal. But it is not money that motivates, it is a dream. The atmosphere is special for the players because we can feel that the fans make the sacrifices to be in the stadium. We can feel that football is in the blood of the fans.
In 1993, against Bulgaria, David Ginola's misplaced pass to you gave the ball away and Kostadinov's goal stopped France from qualifying for USA 94. How far do you think you would have progressed at the World Cup had you made it?
Its a very bad memory because we did not lose a game until we had 3 to go. First we played in Sweden; if we'd won, we would have qualified. But we drew after leading 1-0 - they equalised 10 minutes from the end. So we had two more games, against Israel and Bulgaria. We beat Israel 4-0 away, but lost 3-2 to Bulgaria at home. If we had drawn, we would have gone through. We were 1-0 up and I scored the goal. They scored the winning goal in the last seconds.
Bulgaria and Sweden qualified, and both of them reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. France could have done at least as well as they did. We had the best team, but we didn't really handle the situation well, despite our players having a lot of experience - because even with experience, you can make a mistake. But you have to learn from mistakes to improve both in football and in your life.
Do you prefer a nice glass of French wine or a cold British pint? What about snails or roast beef?
Snail? Ah, escargot. I like to taste local things to test them. When I go to Spain, I take a Spanish beer or wine. When I got to Brazil, I take a Brazilian beer or wine. When I was in England I took an English beer. But with the French, wine. Here in the south of France I take a rose, especially in the summer. Its cold [smiles].
What was your reaction to Trevor Francis offering you a trial at Sheffield Wednesday?
He didn't invite me for a trial. I was there for a week and I thought I was there to sign. My lawyer was there and he spoke to try to find a way with the contract. I trained and played in a friendly game. We won 4-3. I scored 3 goals. After one week, he asked me to spend one more week on trial.
There weren't a lot of foreigners in England then, maybe some fromt the North of Europe but not many from the south. Maybe they were suspcious, but I was a France international and Sheffield Wednesday wanted more time to decide about me. That was not a very good way to go about things.
We've heard the rumours but its never really been answered properly - why did you leave Leeds? Did you fall out with any players or just Wilkinson? Were you looking for a move before the fabled phone call between Fergie and Wilko?
I had a bad relationship with the manager, Wilkinson. We didn't have the same views on football. I am more like a Manchester footballer. At Leeds, football was played the old way - I think you say kick and then rush. But it was very important to play for Leeds at first because I learned a lot with this kind of football. And we had success.
But if I don't feel the environment is good, I don't want to be there. I need to feel good. Maybe thats why I had problems before. Maybe the atmosphere at a club wasn't how I dreamed it would be. I needed time or I gave up or I tried to find words to explain what I wanted. Its like with a woman. Sometimes you can't find love. Sometimes you can, but its still not right. Its good to be in love, but you want more, you want to give, you want to receive. Sometimes that doesn't happen. I'm not sure that I would like to be with a woman who is like some of the chairmen I met. They didn't deserve to be loved.
Six months before you joined Manchester United, you played in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. You nearly scored with an overhead kick. The whole of the K Stand applauded you - unheard of for a Leeds player. Did that seem weird?
You dream about these things so if they happen you feel you lived them before.
CONTINUED
Marseille owes everything to the sea. Manchester United fans owe much to Eri Daniel Pierre Cantona, who has asked FourFourTwo to come and meet him in his home city. Retracing the route of Cantonas grandfather, who was forced into exile from Francos Spain, we drive 300 miles from Barcelona, through the towns of Cantona's former clubs Montpellier, Nimes and Martigues, arriving exhausted but also wired, apprehensive. Cantona is a hero of your correspondant, and conventional wisdom has it that you should never meet your heroes.
We are instructed to go to a scruffy hotel amond discount stores in a seedy social housing project. Young gangs of lads in Olympique Marseille shirts throw tiny firecrackers to intimidate pedestrians.
Cantons family have helped to bring the FIFA beach Soccer World Cup to Marseille - it will begin in two days. Billboards advertise the tournament around Frances third city, while teams of men in Argentina and Japan tracksuits acclimatise by walking the streets, dodging the sleek trams and enjoying the attention their tracksuits bring - even though none of their faces are recognisable.
Cantona appears wearing a France shirt and a beard that greys around his chin. Hes taller, wider, and more imposing than you'd imagine. His eyebrows are formidable, his eyes dark and unfathomable. He seems distracted, guarded and wary as he weighs up the strangers near him.
With sadness, we tell him of the death of Norman Davies, the former Manchester United kitman who escorted him to the Selhurst Park tunnel after his infamous kung-fu kick in 1995. Many of Cantanos former team-mates had attended his funeral a week earlier. "No, no, no, no," is all he can say.
We've been told we'll have 10 minutes with Cantona, less than a third of what we'd been promised. As manager of the French beach soccer team, Cantona is extemely busy. But 10 minutes will not be enough, nowhere near, so we're understandbly unhappy. "Tomorrow morning" he agrees, thankfully. "We meet tomorrow when I have more time. Nine o'clock at the hotel"
Next morning, Cantona is on time, busy but more relaxed, though some questions unpredictably creat palable tension. He stays for over an hour, tete a tete, responding to your questions, smiling, laughing, frowning and thinking. Hes one hero you wouldn't hesitate to meet again.
What stands out most from your time growing up in Marseille? Were you a happy child or were you always frowning then too?
I was a happy child. We had a strong, close family, which gives you the best education you can get. We were working class and satisfied with small things in life. We were polite and always said please and thank you. We were respectful to others and enjoyed life. We sand, smiled, and loved. We were immigrants, Mediterranean people. My father came from Italy, my mother from Barcelona. I was there when I was a child to see my grandfather. I was 10 and liked it very much. He came to France after the Spanish Civil War. He was not allowed to return for 15 years under the Franco regime.
When I finished in Manchester, I went to live in Barcelona for three years, to relive those childhood memories. To read and live. I liked Barcelona [FFT:Have you read Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell] No, but I'd like to. Can you send it to me?
Now, I am in Marseille, a football city where OM [Olympique Marseille, another of Cantonas former teams] is like a religion. It's a cosmopolitan, passionate city and the people live for football.
Who was crazier: you or Guy Roux? And whats your favourite memory of your old manager?
I left my family in Marseille to go to Auxerre, which was 600 kilometres away. I was just 15. For us young players, Guy Roux was like a father. I liked him and respected him.
In somes clubs it is not so close, some coaches are not so close to their players, but Guy Roux made sure that Auxerre was like a big family. If I had moved to another club it may have been difficult. But at Auxerre I found my family.
What motivated you as a player? Money? Success? Glory?
Success and glory: whats the difference? [Long Pause] I think I retired so young because I wanted to improve every time, to be a better player. For myself and the team. To win trophies. To have a feeling of improving. When I retired, I felt that I couldn't improve anymore. And I lost the passion at the same time. The passion comes with the motivation of improving. If you lose the passion, you lose the motivation.
Money? No. If someone asked you to pay £100 to play in an FA Cup final, would you pay or not? So it was a dream for me to play because I did not have to pay. We were paid, but I would have played for nothing. There is lots of money involved in football and the players take their share, which is normal. But it is not money that motivates, it is a dream. The atmosphere is special for the players because we can feel that the fans make the sacrifices to be in the stadium. We can feel that football is in the blood of the fans.
In 1993, against Bulgaria, David Ginola's misplaced pass to you gave the ball away and Kostadinov's goal stopped France from qualifying for USA 94. How far do you think you would have progressed at the World Cup had you made it?
Its a very bad memory because we did not lose a game until we had 3 to go. First we played in Sweden; if we'd won, we would have qualified. But we drew after leading 1-0 - they equalised 10 minutes from the end. So we had two more games, against Israel and Bulgaria. We beat Israel 4-0 away, but lost 3-2 to Bulgaria at home. If we had drawn, we would have gone through. We were 1-0 up and I scored the goal. They scored the winning goal in the last seconds.
Bulgaria and Sweden qualified, and both of them reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. France could have done at least as well as they did. We had the best team, but we didn't really handle the situation well, despite our players having a lot of experience - because even with experience, you can make a mistake. But you have to learn from mistakes to improve both in football and in your life.
Do you prefer a nice glass of French wine or a cold British pint? What about snails or roast beef?
Snail? Ah, escargot. I like to taste local things to test them. When I go to Spain, I take a Spanish beer or wine. When I got to Brazil, I take a Brazilian beer or wine. When I was in England I took an English beer. But with the French, wine. Here in the south of France I take a rose, especially in the summer. Its cold [smiles].
What was your reaction to Trevor Francis offering you a trial at Sheffield Wednesday?
He didn't invite me for a trial. I was there for a week and I thought I was there to sign. My lawyer was there and he spoke to try to find a way with the contract. I trained and played in a friendly game. We won 4-3. I scored 3 goals. After one week, he asked me to spend one more week on trial.
There weren't a lot of foreigners in England then, maybe some fromt the North of Europe but not many from the south. Maybe they were suspcious, but I was a France international and Sheffield Wednesday wanted more time to decide about me. That was not a very good way to go about things.
We've heard the rumours but its never really been answered properly - why did you leave Leeds? Did you fall out with any players or just Wilkinson? Were you looking for a move before the fabled phone call between Fergie and Wilko?
I had a bad relationship with the manager, Wilkinson. We didn't have the same views on football. I am more like a Manchester footballer. At Leeds, football was played the old way - I think you say kick and then rush. But it was very important to play for Leeds at first because I learned a lot with this kind of football. And we had success.
But if I don't feel the environment is good, I don't want to be there. I need to feel good. Maybe thats why I had problems before. Maybe the atmosphere at a club wasn't how I dreamed it would be. I needed time or I gave up or I tried to find words to explain what I wanted. Its like with a woman. Sometimes you can't find love. Sometimes you can, but its still not right. Its good to be in love, but you want more, you want to give, you want to receive. Sometimes that doesn't happen. I'm not sure that I would like to be with a woman who is like some of the chairmen I met. They didn't deserve to be loved.
Six months before you joined Manchester United, you played in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. You nearly scored with an overhead kick. The whole of the K Stand applauded you - unheard of for a Leeds player. Did that seem weird?
You dream about these things so if they happen you feel you lived them before.
CONTINUED