After unveiling a first title, “The friends we lost”, in early June, Manchester United’s legendary number 7 is preparing a European tour this fall. To refine it, he will be in residence in Auxerre from October 9th.
He is definitely never where you expect him to be. After a brilliant career as a footballer, and a great conversion into the cinema, and notable appearances in the theater, Eric Cantona therefore launched into song. Cantona sings Eric, this is the title of the tour which will begin in Manchester on October 26th. Before that, the “King” will settle down at the Théâtre d’Auxerre, the city where he took his first steps as a professional player.
The voice is warm, deep. The lyrics, in English, are tinged with this Marseille accent that has never left him. On June 2, Eric Cantona published on his Instagram account the clip of his very first title, The friends we lost. The beginning for him of a third life. Cantona is first of all, of course, one of the very best French football players. Nicknamed the King at Manchester United where he marked the history of the club from 1992 to 1997, the legendary number 7 began his career in Burgundy. It was there, at AJ Auxerre, that the then 14-year-old teenager took his first steps as a footballer, first in the academy, then in the first team. A period that former AJA coach Guy Roux fondly remembers: “He is an extraordinary being! He gave us a lot of pain, a lot of trouble, he was difficult as a teenager. Difficult, but never stupid. Really, he’s a character!“
Auxerre, a return to the sources
43 years and an exceptional track record later, Eric Cantona is back in Auxerre, this time as an artist. Next October, he will be in residence for a week at the city’s theater to the delight of its director, Pierre Kechkéguian, pleasantly surprised by the talent of Cantona singer: “Honestly, I discover and I appreciate! I can only be happy to live this adventure alongside such a character. Eric Cantona is still ‘The king’!” A king whom nothing or almost nothing has resisted. A global football star, he has also distinguished himself in the theater and in the cinema with 37 roles, some of which are very striking, such as that of the big-hearted brute, Jo Sardi, in The children of the swamp by Jean Becker (1998).
After notable collaborations with Rachid Taha and Bernard Lavilliers and a guest star appearance in the music video for Ounce by Liam Gallagher, Eric Cantona therefore chose music as a third way. In a very symbolic way, his Franco-British tour will begin on October 26 in Manchester, a city in which he remains, even today, a living god. Paris, Lyon, of course Marseille… The “King Canto” will also be in Auxerre, in concert this time, on a date yet to be determined. As for the album, we will have to wait until 2024.