Eric Cantona
A footballer of fierce artistry and combustible temperament who became the talismanic king of Manchester United's 1990s revival.
Born 1966 (age 60)·French actor and footballer·Birthday: May 24·Generation X
Biography
Eric Cantona’s story is one of glorious contradiction. In France, his talent was undeniable but his temperament deemed unmanageable, leading to a nomadic early career and a brief international retirement. His 1992 move to Leeds United, and then swiftly to Manchester United, changed English football. Under Alex Ferguson, Cantona found a stage worthy of his arrogance and vision. With his collar perpetually turned up, he played with a theatrical swagger, combining physical power with delicate touch, scoring audacious goals and delivering pinpoint passes. He was the catalyst that transformed a promising United side into serial champions, winning four Premier League titles in five years. His legacy, however, is forever shadowed by his 1995 kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan, an act that brought an eight-month suspension and worldwide notoriety. In retirement, he has forged a successful second act as a brooding, magnetic film actor, proving his intensity transcends the pitch.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Eric was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won four English Premier League titles in five seasons with Manchester United (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997).
- Named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1994, during Manchester United's first league and FA Cup double season.
- Scored the winning goal in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, securing a second domestic double.
- Included in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players, compiled by Pelé in 2004.
Did You Know?
He is known for his enigmatic philosophical statements, once telling the press, 'When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.'
After retiring from football, he took up beach soccer and was part of the French national team that won the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
He served as the director of soccer for the New York Cosmos in 2011.
He made his acting debut in the 1995 French film 'Le Bonheur est dans le pré'.
“I have a problem with authority. It's not that I'm against it, I just have a problem with it.”
