Former Manchester United and France striker Eric Cantona received the Uefa President’s Award at the Champions League draw ceremony in Monaco on Thursday.
The 53-year-old, who won five English championships with Leeds and Manchester United in the 1990s and two French titles with Marseille, joined an illustrious list of previous recipients which includes Johann Cruyff, Alfredo Di Stefano and Eusebio.
However, what stood out during the ceremony on Thursday was Cantona’s bizarre speech after receiving the award. Dressed in a hat and an unbuttoned red shirt, his words left the audience, which had the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, rather confused.
Here’s what Cantona said:
As flies to wanton boys we are for the gods, they kill us for their sport.
Soon the science will not only be able to slow down the ageing of the cells, soon the science will fix the cells to the state and so we will become eternal.
Only accidents, crimes, wars, will still kill us but unfortunately, crimes, wars, will multiply.
I love football. Thank you.
Watch the speech here:
Cantona is the third Manchester United player to receive the award after Bobby Charlton in 2008 and David Beckham last year. He played 45 times for France but retired before the 1998 World Cup triumph. His career, which ran from 1983 when he first played for Auxerre to 1997, often courted controversy.
In 1988, Cantona was temporarily suspended from the French national team for calling team manager Henri Michel a “bag of shit”.
In 1995, he was banned from football for eight months and stripped of the France captaincy after attacking a Crystal Palace supporter who was jeering Cantona after the Frenchman was sent off.
Since retiring Cantona has turned to acting, best known for his role in Ken Loach’s quirky 2009 comedy drama Looking for Eric which was nominated for a Palme d’Or.
[With inputs from AFP]