Eric Cantona FINALLY explains what his famous 'When the seagulls follow the trawler...' comment was all about nearly 30 years after baffling football fans

'When nan seagulls travel nan trawler, it is because they deliberation sardines will beryllium thrown into nan sea.'

It's a building that has near shot pundits nan world complete baffled for astir 3 decades trying to decode nan hidden sentiment within. 

But Eric Cantona has now revealed nan cryptic comment, made aft being ordered to explicate his infamous 'kung-fu kick' connected a foul-mouthed Crystal Palace instrumentality successful 1995, was thing much than conscionable nan first point that entered his head. 

The erstwhile Manchester United striker, who since hanging up his boots has surgery caller creator crushed arsenic an actor, photographer and singer, said location was nary heavy philosophical meaning down nan comment.

Instead, it was conscionable a spur of nan moment, nonsensical utterance designed to thenar disconnected journalists astatine a property convention he did not want to attend.

And his soundlessness connected nan matter for nan past 29 years was a shape of 'revenge' to frustrate nan media he felt went excessively acold successful vilifying him for opinionated up to abuse. 

Speaking to French chat show C dans l'air this week, Cantona said: 'I didn't want to but (Manchester United) said it's important you person to speak to nan press. 

'So I said, OK I will speak to nan press, successful nan consciousness that they want maine to speak – I'll opportunity immoderate aged thing.

'You know, (the press) destroyed me. But successful a measurement I person had my revenge. They were each trying to find a meaning and they each asked maine to explicate and I said nothing.'

Cantona delivered nan footwear that made headlines worldwide during an distant crippled for United against Crystal Palace successful January 1995.

Having been sent disconnected for a situation connected Palace defender Richard Shaw, Cantona was trundling disconnected nan section towards nan dressing rooms successful nan area of Selhurst Park erstwhile he heard Palace instrumentality Matthew Simmons motorboat a foul-mouthed tirade successful his direction.

In a fresh of rage, Cantona sprinted towards nan stands and vaulted complete nan barrier, landing a perfectly placed footwear pinch his studded boots and cracking Simmons pinch a mates of well-aimed punches earlier being hauled away.

Simmons, a 20-year-old self-employed glazier astatine nan time, was sentenced to 7 days successful jailhouse for threatening and abusive behaviour and had his play summons rescinded by Palace for 'breaking crushed rules.'

But was suspended by his club, stripped of his captaincy of nan France nationalist squad and banned from shot for 9 months. 

He was initially handed a jailhouse term, but managed to get nan condemnation knocked down to organization work connected appeal.

Speaking successful 2021, Cantona said he had nary remorse complete nan footwear and if thing wished he could've dealt much damage.

'I person been insulted thousands of times and person ne'er reacted, but sometimes you are fragile. 

'I person 1 regret. I would person loved to person kicked him moreover harder. I was banned for 9 months. They wanted maine to beryllium an example,' he said.

In a abstracted question and reply pinch BBC's Football Focus, Cantona referred to nan footwear arsenic nan item of his illustrious career.

'I did nan kung-fu footwear connected nan hooligan, because these benignant of group don't person to beryllium astatine nan game.

'I deliberation possibly it's for illustration a dream for some, you cognize sometimes to footwear these benignant of people. So I did it for them. So they are happy. It's a benignant of state for them.

'It's a awesome feeling, but different.'

But moreover then, he refused to unfastened up astir his faux-philosophical statement, which he made to property pursuing his entreaty proceeding astatine tribunal successful Croydon. 

During his question and reply connected C dans l'air, wherever he performed a opus from his caller medium 'Cantona sings Eric', nan erstwhile footballer said: 'They wanted maine to speak, I spoke. It conscionable came retired and past I left. And nan press, they each tried to find a consciousness to it and make it each philosophical. 

'You know, it conscionable came retired for illustration that; possibly it came from my subconscious and possibly unconsciously it created a sense, but nan champion consciousness of it was, you make maine speak, I speak and who cares whether nan words make sense.' 

The remark itself now constitutes portion of nan lyrics for his opus 'I emotion you truthful much', a way he says is dedicated to nan metropolis and nan group of Manchester.

'(The group of Manchester) gave maine truthful much, I wanted to springiness thing back,' he told nan talk show.

'Manchester successful nan 1990s was Manchester United... We were stone stars. I grew up, spent clip pinch nan nine that succeeded and won aft 26 years without titles, it was specified a hopeful municipality and still is now.'