Eric The King knows which city's the greatest
The Manchester Evening News notes:
After hearing that Mario Balotelli this week joined Carlos Tevez in insisting he has struggled to settle in Manchester, Cantona says success on the pitch is what’s important.
“They don’t like the place?” he asked. “It depends where you come from. If they come from Milan, maybe.
“I don’t want to name other cities, but if their city is better then why did they come?
“I had a great time here, but the most important thing for me was to play for the best club in the world with the best players in the world.
“The most important thing is you are all professional players. You travel and you try to find a city you can enjoy, but the greatest time you can have is on the pitch.
“When I was in Manchester I loved the city and had a great time.”
Cantona begins his football comeback when managing a Cosmos select XI against United.
The Frenchman has been installed as Director of Soccer for the legendary New York club that boasted stars such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto during its heyday in the 70s.
Tomorrow will be Scholes’ official farewell to United supporters. Sir Alex Ferguson has spent the summer trying to recruit a successor for the midfielder – and was yesterday dealt blow in his bid to land Wesley Sneijder, with Inter Milan infering the Dutchman is not for sale.
But Cantona is adamant that the trophies will keep coming at United – and says not even City’s mega spending under their Abu Dhabi owners will see them topple their red rivals.
Inter’s chief executive, Ernesto Paolilli, said yesterday: “Sneijder is here and he’s an important part of our team.
“As for Sneijder, there is a complete intention that he will stay with us.”
Cantona said: “You can replace a lot of players – especially at a club like United and with a great manager like Alex Ferguson.
“Every time a player leaves we think the club cannot win any more. But United still win things because they are very strong as an academy.
“They have a great history and work every day and any player can be replaced. Of course Paul Scholes is a great player, but I left, Cristiano Ronaldo left, Mark Hughes left, David Beckham left and United is still one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“Ferguson will be more difficult to replace.”
On City’s hopes to take United’s Premier League title this season, he added: “United is the best team. I don’t know how City work. Maybe they are working on an academy, but
today they seem to be the team that wants to spend millions to buy players and build a team.
“They have been successful because they won the FA Cup, but if they only want to do that they will not be as strong as United.”
“United work long-term on raising talents.”
Whether Eric’s advice is heeded by City’s players is doubtful to say the least but as the legendary Ian Brown once said: “Manchester’s got everything except a beach.”
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Getting a bit desperate now the rag PR machine last wek Brand Beckham(©®™) this week the French muppet who you going to dig up next week? David Meek? As an aside, just shows what Who’s Laa-laa knows about City’s academy dowsn’t it?
I would respectfully suggest that City have brought just as many players through their youth ranks as United have over the past few years and Mancini has blooded more youth team players than ANY of his predecessors.
Its sad to say, but our academy has had very little investment recently, compared to City’s. I can’t see another “golden generation” on the horizon. Beckham, Scholes, Neville, Giggs etc have all retired, or are about to.
Even Andy Cole and Peter Schmeikel sent their boys to City’s academy, and it won the FA youth cup a couple of seasons ago.
Some of City’s players are from nice countries. Cantona is French – of course he preferred Manchester.
I can’t see us getting Scneidjer. Inter are desperate to swap or sell anyone they can to get Tevez, but City don’t seem to want him or Eto’o, and we can’t afford him
Is this Guy for real – Manchester is one ‘Big Toilet’ and has been for at least 20 years!
If it is so friggin good why didn’t he stay like Bell, Summerbee and Tueart (among others) did.
Don’t worry about City Eric, instead worry about your ‘dripped up’, ‘potless’ former club.
It will take City a few years obviously but Liverpool were the ‘Top Dogs’ only 20 something years ago, and going back in time so were Preston North End and Huddersfield Town.
What goes around will come around!
p.s How’s the Karate these days, are you still picking on little kids?
Great summary Eric, and there’s me thinking you only quoted seagull nonsense!
But hey, he speak the truth. On the pitch is where it matters! Mario has the talent to have a sensational season this season, but if he keeps side-tracking into petty nonsense, then he may have to fulfill this in “lovelier” cities like Rome, where the football teams are in decline compared to Manchester.
You dont hear Silva or Zabaletta moan. Maturity comes quicker to some people than others i guess. Every time we take to the field to play United, we fear only one man…Sir Alex.
Once he goes, itsChelsea v City for years to come. Hence all the Beckham/Cantona/Neville/Eamon ‘roly-poly’ Holmes(lol)digs to try and un-nerve City and what they are impressively building.
Also, “City should concentrate on youth”???
Adam Johnson, Joe Hart, Micah Richards….plus one of the best youth Scouting facilities on the planet! Methinks Eric should come back to Manchester for a while to ‘catch-up’ again before he tilts his red-tinted specs back on his em, rather large head…
Why take anything this guy says seriously, Seagulls and Trawlers come to mind
If the karate kid doesn’t know what’s going on in Manchester, perhaps he can be excused because he lives outside of europe now.
In the USA, he will know that debt is a real, crippling, tangible thing which has to be repaid, and no institution is too big to fail.
City’s owner is like 60 patient Abramovich’s.
He should take a look at one of the Glazer’s boarded-up shopping malls. The Glazers don’t even have their own airforce, let alone a modern, well-equipped one.
To put it into perspective, City’s owner could pay off utd’s debt, and be only one tenth of 1% poorer.
eric is king, blue noses your little man syndrome overfloweth
we’ll drink a drink to eric the king, TOTAL LEGEND
My god the shitty fans have come out in their numbers to bitch about King Eric havent they! Seriously stop bitching on our fan sites and concentrate ur imaginary trophy domination in ur own forums. Also this talk of decline is hilarious, if anything we’re getting better than we were in the 90s! 2 champions league semi finals in the space of 3 3 years is a decline? 4 premier league titles in 5 years is the sort of success a team in decline has? Long may the decline continue thats all il say!!
One last thing, isnt it ironic that the apparent ‘pride of manchester’ footy team’s premier players Tevez and Balotelli cant stand the city of manchester itself? At least our boys have passion for their team and city they represent…..