Eric Cantona's UK tour: will he be at Bloomsbury Theatre, what was his 'kung fu' kick, and who's his wife?

For those of you who are familiar from Eric Cantona from his days playing football for Manchester United, confidence is not something that he lacked. It is therefore no surprise that as he is set to embark on his UK tour, he revealed that “Maybe The (Rolling) Stones can support me.”

When Eric Cantona’s ‘The Friends We Lost’ was released in June of this year, The Guardian described it as “Take Nick Cave, add a splash of Leonard Cohen, springle with Serge Gainsbourg and you might have something approximating Eric Cantona’s first single.” Although Eric Cantona is of course best known for his footballing prowess, he also became renowned for his ‘infamous’ kung-fu kick and his poetic musings. 

The ‘kung-fu’ kick came about on January 25 1995 when Eric Cantona was sent off in a league game at Crystal Palace. TalkSport reported that “Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons had antagonised the player as he walked past him so much, it resulted in one of the most extraordinary events in English football history. It later emerged the supporter has yelled, ‘f*** off back to France you French mother *****, and Cantona was later widely praised for trying to literally kick racism out of football.”

Eric Cantona later won his appeal against a two-week prison sentence he was given for kicking the football spectator. When he discovered that he would be teaching Manchester youngsters how to play football in 120 hours of community service, he said to the awaiting media at press conference that “When seagulls follow the trawler it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

When Eric Cantona uttered these words, the majority of the press conference were dumfounded and didn’t know how to react. In 2012, former Manchester United director Maurice Watkins ( who was sitting next to him at the press conference) revealed the inspiration behind what Eric Cantona said and revealed “We started to draft a speech on a piece of paper and he asked what the boat was that catches fish. Then he asked what the birds were that fly over the sea. Eric went on writing then showed me what he wanted to say. Everyone thinks because of the expression on my face that I didn’t know what he was going to say. But I did and I often wonder what happened to that piece of paper.”

Jim White, a sport columnist at the Daily Telegraph said that Cantona Seagulls quote implied that “the media were just parasites and he (Cantona) was the boat that they were following.” Years later in 2014, the US actor Shia LaBeouf stormed out of news conference after quoting Eric Cantona’s comments about seagulls. Shia was promoting his film ‘Nymphomaniac at the time and when asked about the film’s sex scenes, he quoted Eric Cantona. 

What is Eric Cantona’s net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Eric Cantona has a net worth of $25 million. After he retired from football, he has had numerous endorsements deal, including one with Nike. He is joined forces with EA in 2020 when he appeared as an Ultimate Team icon in FIFA 21, and declared ‘The King is back!’ in promotional videos. 

Eric Cantona has starred in many movies and TV shows over the years, including Magic 7, The Traveller and Inhuman Resources. 

Is Eric Cantona married and does he have children?

Eric Cantona is married to Rachida Brakni’ and Eric said ‘it was love at first sight’ when they met. The couple share two children together, Emir and Selma, and Eric has two grown up children, Raphael and Josephine from his first marriage to Isabelle Ferrer. Eric Cantona met actress Rachida on the set of the film L’Outremangeur (The Overeater) in 2002 and said “”Falling in love changed my life. I played a monster in the film and she was a beautiful girl helping me to accept myself. She played a character who helped me find my beauty inside.”

Does Eric Cantona have a connection to Liam Gallagher?

The BBC reported that “When it comes to the title track of his new EP, I’ll Make My Own Heaven, it is his fellow mid-90s Mancunians, Oasis, who spring to mind when the opening riff kicks in.” Eric Cantona appeared in Liam Gallagher 'sOnce Video’ and reportedly refused any payment for it.

Is Eric Cantona's tour sold out and will he be performing at Bloomsbury Theatre in London?

Eric Cantona's live dates are at Stoller Hall in Manchester on the 26 and 27 October and at Bloomsbury Theatre in London on the 28 October. They are all sold out.