TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

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On This Day In 1992, 26-year-old French striker Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona joined Manchester United from Leeds United for a transfer fee of £1.2 million. Cantona was handed the number 7 jersey, a squad number he kept for the rest of his Manchester United career, and which already had iconic status, having previously been worn by club legends including George Best and Bryan Robson. He was best remembered for launching a 'kung-fu' style kick into the crowd, directed at Matthew Simmons(a Crystal Palace fan) in a game against Crystal Palace on 25 January 1995. This came after Cantona was sent off by the referee for kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw. Consequently, he received an eight months ban from football-related activities(plus other fines). He was also stripped of the captaincy of the French national football team by national coach Aimé Jacquet. He also captained the Red Devils in his final season(1996/1997) at the club. His final competitive game came against West Ham on 11 May 1997, and his final appearance before retiring was five days later on 16 May in a testimonial for David Busst (whose career had been ended by an injury suffered against Manchester United the previous year) against Coventry City at Highfield Road.

CANTONA AT MAN UTD(1992-1997)

185 Games
82 Goals
9 Trophies


On This Day In 2014, Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson scored his first ever Champions League goal, netting the Reds' second goal in a 2-2 draw against Bulgarian side PFC Ludogorets Razgrad.

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