#5 Eric Cantona
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Manchester United travelled to Selhurst Park in 1995 on a Wednesday night, as they played catch up to Blackburn who were nestled quite comfortably on the top of the league. Crystal Palace meanwhile were in their own relegation battle and were in a desperate need of points. Richard Shaw was given the dubious job of making sure that Eric Cantona didn't have a large impact on the game that was to follow.
The two had a number of altercations on the pitch, most of which were quite rough. So rough that even Cantona was taken aback. "No yellow cards, then?," asked the Frenchman to referee Alan Wilkie. Cantona eventually decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands. In Crystal Palace midfielder John Salako's own words, "It was all Shawsy's fault as well. Richard is the best man-marker ever. He had a job to do on Eric and he did it so well. Eric got so frustrated he literally booted Shawsy up the arse. Eric lost the plot."
Cantona was shown a direct red card, his fifth for United overall. As the Frenchman walked towards the tunnel, Palace fan Simmons taunted him. According to him, all he said was, "Off, off, off! It's an early bath for you, Cantona." Others around him though, have a different version of the events and the fan apparently shouted, "You dirty French bastard. F--- off back to France."
(Video Courtesy: Ryan C YouTube Channel)
The words, however, triggered Cantona who threw himself at the fan, in what the internet describes as a ‘Kung Fu kick’. The Frenchman had to be led away by stewards. He was banned for nine months and given 120 hours of community service. Almost two decades after the incident, Cantona has no regrets. “I didn’t punch him strong enough. I should have punched him harder."
