Man Utd legend Eric Cantona has shown no remorse for his kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan back in 1995 and wishes he’d “kicked him even harder”.
Cantona was banned from football for eight months in January 1995 after kicking an Eagles supporter while playing for Man Utd.
The Frenchman almost quit football as a result of what he felt was a disproportionate punishment, before serving his suspension and eventually returning to football that October.
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It formed part of the backstory of one of the true icons of the Premier League and Cantona only has “one regret” over the incident.
Speaking in a new film called The United Way, Cantona said: “I have been insulted thousands of times and have never reacted, but sometimes you are fragile.
“I have one regret. I would have loved to have kicked him even harder. I was banned for nine months. They wanted me to be an example.”
Cantona nearly quit the Red Devils after he breached his suspension by playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly – but former Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson convinced the Frenchman to stay at Old Trafford
Cantona added: “It was just a friendly game, but the journalist was on top of a tree outside and he took a picture.
“Unfortunately he didn’t fall. The next day it was in the paper and the FA wanted to ban me even more. The manager found the right words like always. And I loved him and respected him. Like a father.
“When a manager does something like this to his player, the player will give his life to the manager, to the club and to the fans. They were all behind me. Some clubs maybe would have sacked me but Manchester United offered me a new contract. That’s the difference between Manchester United and the other ones.”
On his passion for football, Cantona continued: “I loved the game. I loved the fire inside of me. I loved the adrenaline.
“I played because as a kid it was my dream. When this dream became routine I didn’t want to play. I wanted to be faithful to myself and the fans and everybody.
“And there are so many things to do in life. I didn’t have time to waste. It was time to pass the baton on to the next generation.”
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