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NEXT month will be the 20th anniversary of Eric Cantona’s shock decision to retire from football and turn his back on Manchester United.
The same back that sported the famous No.7 shirt. Who can forget?
A shirt he wore with such distinction, to become a true icon and talisman at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
He followed in the footsteps of a certain Bryan Robson but that didn’t bother Cantona.
The Frenchman was so good even Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he would have paid just to watch him train.
Superstars
Since his departure others have flourished in the same number, like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It would be churlish to suggest neither of these held a torch to Cantona, because both Beckham and Ronaldo were magnificent footballers at United and genuine superstars in their own right.
But not even Ronaldo had the same arrogance or commanding presence as Cantona did.
He put supporters in a trance with a ‘joie de vivre’ no one else could or hasn’t been able to since. In recent times, those to wear the No.7 shirt have included Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay. See where I’m going with this? Valencia wore it for just one season then asked club bosses if he could revert to his old number (25) for better luck – and promptly broke his ankle in a game against Rangers.
If someone is daunted by the prospect of wearing the same shirt the likes of Cantona and Ronaldo did then he is at the wrong club.
It can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the character inside the shirt but one thing is certain – United lack someone to do it justice.
Despite all his impact and charisma, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is nothing more than a part-time icon passing through Manchester.
Which might explain why United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is working overtime in a bid to beat Chelsea to the signing of Antoine Griezmann. The French ace has that talismanic presence about him. He performs with a swagger and skill that sets him apart.
At Euro 2016 last summer he drove France to the final with some sublime football.
Old Trafford looks the perfect stage for him. Jose Mourinho spends months scouting targets.
Good
The United boss and his team leave no stone unturned to build up a picture of the man in question and what he’s all about.
English eyes will be on Griezmann this week when Atletico Madrid host Leicester in the Champions League but Mourinho doesn’t have to look too hard to discover how good he is with the ball at his feet.
He will be more interested in finding out what goes on in his head and how he’s wired.
We had an insight into this last week when