#5 Eric Cantona
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When you talk about foreign players succeeding in the Premier League there’s only one place to start and that’s with King Eric. While the likes of Ronaldo, Suarez and Henry might be more well-remembered today, it was the success of Cantona in the mid to late 90’s that paved the way for all of them.
Cantona had an immediate impact at Manchester United, scoring 9 goals as United won the inaugural Premier League in 1992/93. And although he only spent a further four seasons at Old Trafford, the enormity of what he did in that time cannot be understated.
His crowning achievement? Returning from a long suspension in the 1995/96 season, Cantona found himself in a United team that trailed league leaders Newcastle by 12 points in mid-January. Overhauling the lead seemed impossible, but Cantona almost single-handedly managed it, scoring eleven goals in United’s last fifteen games – five of which were 1-0 wins.
It remains perhaps the greatest achievement in one season by any one player in league history. And that isn’t even getting started on the skill that Cantona possessed, as well as the ability to score goals and set them up from all types of positions.
Simply put, a player like Eric Cantona would’ve succeeded in any era – including this one.
