If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
Post-playing days, the former forward is probably best known for his cinematic career, with his most renowned performance coming when he played a version of his footballing self. Helmed by renowned English director Ken Loach, Looking for Eric came out in 2009 to wide acclaim, with Cantona cast as the imaginary mentor of a postman in crisis. Other credits include a diplomat in the film Elizabeth (opposite Cate Blanchett), the lead in TV series Inhuman Resources and a surprise appearance in a music video for Manchester City fan Liam Gallagher.
He didn’t actually commit pen to paper himself for this one, but this 1996 release is a nice mix of arty pictures of, and quotes from, the man himself. (Example: “What I’m really after is an anarchy of thought, a liberation of the mind from all convention.”) As for books about him, one of the best is Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King. Written by French football journalist Philippe Auclair, it’s a biography that goes to the heart of what defined the man as a player and a person.
Grab a copy of issue 14 for the full lowdown on this National Football Museum exhibition, but it was essentially a collaboration between Cantona and artist Michael Browne: the former came up with the subject matter, the latter committed it to canvas. Apparently, Cantona likes to paint at home while listening to jazz, but he’s never gone public with his compositions. Could a big reveal be his next artistic flourish?
If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
Post-playing days, the former forward is probably best known for his cinematic career, with his most renowned performance coming when he played a version of his footballing self. Helmed by renowned English director Ken Loach, Looking for Eric came out in 2009 to wide acclaim, with Cantona cast as the imaginary mentor of a postman in crisis. Other credits include a diplomat in the film Elizabeth (opposite Cate Blanchett), the lead in TV series Inhuman Resources and a surprise appearance in a music video for Manchester City fan Liam Gallagher.
He didn’t actually commit pen to paper himself for this one, but this 1996 release is a nice mix of arty pictures of, and quotes from, the man himself. (Example: “What I’m really after is an anarchy of thought, a liberation of the mind from all convention.”) As for books about him, one of the best is Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King. Written by French football journalist Philippe Auclair, it’s a biography that goes to the heart of what defined the man as a player and a person.
Grab a copy of issue 14 for the full lowdown on this National Football Museum exhibition, but it was essentially a collaboration between Cantona and artist Michael Browne: the former came up with the subject matter, the latter committed it to canvas. Apparently, Cantona likes to paint at home while listening to jazz, but he’s never gone public with his compositions. Could a big reveal be his next artistic flourish?
If Eric Cantona and public proclamations are on the agenda, the first item is bound to feature seagulls and trawlers. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re more interested in a statement he released two years after that infamous press conference: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things.”
These words lack the poetry of the seafaring thoughts that the Frenchman expressed following the appeal hearing for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan. However, they opened the floodgates on a tidal wave of post-retirement creativity that shows no signs of abating (and, as yet, no sign of rogue sardines either).
The 57-year-old’s latest artistic endeavour is the release of a debut single, as well as the announcement of an impending album and tour. “I did it just to go on stage, because I love the connection with an audience – football, theatre, music,” he said. “And music, for me, was the dream.”
Here we take a listen to the single, as well as picking out some of the other successes that the ultimate Red Devil has enjoyed on the cultural spectrum.
Cantona’s song has a Serge Gainsbourg vibe to it as he variously sings, talks, whispers and growls his way through the delivery. And it’s a decent tune, a chanson in his nation’s proud tradition: melancholy, wistful and dramatic. He’s promised a full album, which he’ll need before he goes on tour in October – starting in Manchester, of course.
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