Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has declared that his famous hooligan attack was the best moment of his career and gave him “a great feeling.”
The footballer told the BBC how much he secretly enjoyed delivering a two-footed lunge to Crystal palace fan Matthew Simmons during a 1995 match after being verbally abused by him.
He explained: “When I did the kung fu kick on the hooligan, because these kind of people don’t have to be at the game… It’s like a dream for some, you know sometimes to kick these kind of people.
“So I did it for [the fans]. So they are happy. It’s kind of a freedom for them.
“It’s a great feeling, but different.
“But I have seen so many players scoring goals, they know this kind of feeling.
“This one – a player jumping and kicking a hooligan – it’s not the kind of thing you see every day.”
However, the now-retired player insisted he would not recommend others copy him.
He said: “No it was a mistake. But that’s life. That’s me.
“I don’t care about the past. It was a great memory but I don’t want to think about it. I want to look forward.”
Video: Watch Cantona’s famous ‘kung fu’ kick
