Eric Cantona breaks silence on bizarre comment about seagulls and sardines after infamous kung-fu kick
Eric Cantona has broken his silence of almost 30 years on one of the most famous and strange quotes in the history of English football.
He manchester united The legend's comment about 'seagulls (that) follow the trawler' has left fans scratching their heads since 1995.
canton An infamous joke occurred at a press conference 28 years ago following an appeal hearing at Croydon Magistrates' Court following his Notorious kung-fu kick on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons.
When asked to comment on his assault in front of a room of journalists, he said: “When the seagulls follow the fishing boat it is because they think they will throw sardines into the sea.”
Decades of speculation about the meaning behind the words has been quashed by Cantona, who previously claimed it “meant what it meant.”
The enigmatic Frenchman has now revealed that his long silence on the issue was revenge against the press that had “destroyed” him.
Cantona explained that he appeared on the French talk show C dans l'air, as reported by the Guardianhow the phrase drove the British crazy.
He said: “After the (court) ruling, they (Manchester United) absolutely wanted me to speak to the press.
“I didn't want to but they said it was important to talk to the press. So I said, OK, I'll talk to the press, in the sense that they want me to talk, I'll say anything.
“They wanted me to speak, I spoke. She just walked out and then I left. And the press, they all tried to make sense of it and make it all philosophical. “You know, she just came out like that; Maybe it came from my subconscious and maybe it unconsciously created a meaning, but the best meaning was: you make me talk, I talk and who cares if the words make sense.”
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“You know, it just came out like that; Maybe it came from my subconscious and maybe it unconsciously created a meaning, but the best meaning was: you make me talk, I talk and who cares if the words make sense.”
More than two decades have passed since Cantona's fiery temper caused One of the most famous incidents in Premier League history.
On January 25, 1995, after being sent off in a league match in crystal PalaceCantona shocked the football world by hitting an abusive fan with his boot while leaving the field.
The forward was initially suspended by the Red Devils for the remainder of that season before the football association turned it into an eight-month suspension.
This led to unprecedented media hysteria, with Mr Alex Ferguson Ferguson wrote in his season diary of his belief that the kick was shown 93 times on television over the next two days.
Choosing to remain silent after his sardine comment, Cantona added: “You know, they (the press) destroyed me.
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“But in a way, I have gotten revenge. “Everyone was trying to find a meaning and everyone asked me to explain and I didn't say anything.”
Cantona, who scored 82 goals and won four league titles and two doubles with the club, He once said it was his favorite moment in a United shirt.
“My best moment? “I have a lot of good moments, but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan,” said the Old Trafford icon.
This was not the only time Cantona caused a stir when giving a speech after receiving a UEFA award in 2019.
