Eric Cantona needs no introduction. The man is a Manchester United legend after winning the Premier League four times and the FA Cup twice in five seasons at Old Trafford. Nicknamed ‘The King’, he scored 82 goals before retiring at the age of 31. Although a controversial figure in England, most notably for a kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan, there was no denying his quality on the pitch.
The former France international spoke to FourFourTwo and he was asked to pick his dream XI in 2006. Cantona did just that and went with a very attacking lineup, choosing to go with a 3-4-3 formation.
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In goal, he decided to go with one of Colombia’s most recognizable players, Rene Higuita. The sweeper-keeper is most famous for his scorpion kick save against England that left fans and pundits aghast at what he had just done.
“He kept the ball out and that’s all that matters,” Cantona said. “I want entertainers in my team.”
Cantona picks 3-man defence
Going with the 3-man defence, Cantona picked Brazil’s Junior (right-back), Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer (centre back) and Italy’s Giacinto Facchetti (left-back). Junior was one of Brazil’s key players in the 1982 World Cup and even made the All-Star team in that edition.
Although Beckenbauer broke Cantona’s heart as a kid when the Frenchman supported Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final, he understood why the Kaiser was such a force in football. “He was a leader of men,” Cantona said.
With regards to picking Facchetti, he admitted he never saw him play live but watched highlights from the ‘60s. “You have to have an Italian defender and there was no one better than Facchetti.”
Maradona was better than Pele: Cantona
His midfield had Red Devils teammate Roy Keane, another Colombian in Carlos Valderrama and the two were flanked by Diego Maradona on the left and Garrincha on the right.
“He [Keane] could play the holding role and be defensive, but then he could suddenly burst forward and score goals,” Cantona explained. Valderrama was also his teammate at Montpellier and he remembered his good vision and that he was “a very generous player, he never thought about himself”.
Cantona disagrees with the notion that Pele was the greatest player. “Maradona will always be the greatest,” he says because he” wasn’t surrounded by great players” unlike Pele.
HIs attack consisted of Johan Cruyff (his childhood hero), Mario Kempes (an Argentina and Valencia legend) and another United legend George Best.
So where does Cantona fit into this XI? As the manager!
“I picked the team, so I should manage them. I would love to take charge of this team. I know we would have some good times,” Cantona concluded.
