9. Cantona’s Kung fu kick.
The signing of the enigmatic Frenchman Eric Cantona was deemed as a master stroke by Sir Alex Ferguson as he proved to be the catalyst for a era of dominance by a Manchester United side that won four Premiership titles with Eric as the pivotal figure in the team.
However, with Cantona’s flair also came an air of unpredictability, as this flawed genius had shown flashes of ill discipline on a number of occasions under the leadership of his manager, who at times would turn a blind eye to his indiscretions due to his sheer brilliance on the field.
Eventually it would come back to haunt Manchester United and Sir Alex himself, as on a famous Wednesday night in 1995 at Selhurst Park, Cantona would etch his name into infamy by assaulting a Crystal Palace fan during a Premier League fixture.
With the score locked at 1-1 his temper finally reached boiling point after being taunted throughout the match by an opposing spectator in the crowd.
After receiving a red card on the pitch Cantona made his way to the dressing room for an early bath, whilst on route he spotted his tormentor and launched himself stud first at the fan. His kick landed squarely in the fan’s chest and Eric delivered a ferocious punch on him afterwards for good measure.
It was a truly shocking moment that had never been seen on a football pitch, Cantona himself received an 8 month ban from all football related matters due to his crazy outburst, whilst the French national team dropped him in disgrace.
Eric never showed any remorse and later suggested he should of hit him harder.
The media scrum following the fallout from the incident would dog him for the remainder of his controversial career until his early retirement in 1997.
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