King Eric of Cannes-tona

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Eric Cantona received rave reviews at Cannes Film Festival.

Legendary footballer-turned-philosopher-turned-poet-turned-actor, Eric Cantona is set to finally become a box-office sensation.

Highly revered British film maker Ken Loach’s film Looking for Eric has received favourable reviews from its showing at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film is about an English postman, named Eric, who is on the brink of suffering a nervous breakdown. In the film Cantona plays himself as he appears, somewhat like a guardian angel, to the postman character, played by Steve Evets, to give sage advice regarding his troubles. The film is set in Manchester and the lead character is a Manchester United fan which sets up the astral meeting with Cantona.

The film went down very well at the illustrious film festival, with critics lauding it as a “crowd pleaser”. Indeed Cantona himself received huge cheers upon making an appearance.

Cantona became an icon to football fans around the globe during his tenure at Manchester United in the 1990s.

He played a huge part in re-establishing Manchester United as one of the largest football clubs in the world, and won legions of fans not just with his amazing skills but also with his eccentric demeanour.

A highly controversial character, Cantona hit the headlines in 1995 for leaping over the barriers and landing a martial arts style kung-fu kick on a spectator who had allegedly taunted him with racial slurs. At a later press conference relating to the court case which spun out of the attack, Cantona cemented his status as a lovable oddball with a most confusing declaration: “When the seagulls follow a trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.”

Following his retirement from football, Cantona turned to acting, playing the role of a French ambassador in the 1998 film Elizabeth. He has had various other parts but Loach’s whimsical film has the potential to eclipse his previous offerings in terms of praise and critical acclaim.

Cantona spoke highly of director Ken Loach at a press conference, comparing him to his manager at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson: “They are in activities that are totally different, but they both get 100 per cent from their actors or their players. They’re both very humble as well. Each of them got me to give every bit of myself. They brought out the best in me.”