Eric Cantona says he wouldn’t have joined Man United if this man had been at the club 30 years ago | OneFootball

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Eric Cantona says he would not have signed for Manchester United in 1992 had Sir Jim Ratcliffe been a co-owner at the time, citing the billionaire’s comments about immigration.

The Frenchman said he “cannot accept” such views from one of United’s owners, delivering a blunt response when asked whether Ratcliffe’s presence would have changed his decision to move from Leeds United.

Sir Jim’s immigration comments

Ratcliffe previously claimed that the United Kingdom had been “colonised” by immigrants before apologising for those remarks earlier this year.

In a subsequent BBC interview, the United co-owner said the country was “on the slide” and argued that politicians were not being tough enough when dealing with immigration and benefits.

Ratcliffe said: “Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it, otherwise, it ends in a bad place.”

The businessman’s relationship with Cantona has an added dimension because the former United forward is his favourite player. Trawlers Limited, the company used to acquire up to 29 per cent of the club, was named in reference to Cantona’s famous trawler speech.

Cantona gives emphatic response

Cantona addressed the issue while touring the Republic of Ireland with his “Eric The King Cantona” events, as detailed by the Manchester Evening News.

United supporter Pete Boyle asked whether the Frenchman would have moved to Old Trafford more than 30 years ago if Ratcliffe had been involved in the club’s ownership. Cantona simply answered: “No.”

Asked to explain his position, Cantona said: “Of course not. You know what I think about all of this, with this kind of politics. And I cannot understand that someone like this can say something like this when he’s one of the owners of the club.”

He then focused on the contribution made by generations of immigrants to football across different countries.

Cantona added: “Football is a very popular sport. Football is made — all the greatest players come from different waves of immigration. Everywhere, in France, in England, everywhere.”

Eric Cantona’s personal perspective

Cantona joined United from Leeds in 1992, meaning the question placed Ratcliffe’s modern-day role directly into the context of one of the most celebrated moves in the club’s history.

The former forward also connected his stance to his own family background. He explained that his mother came from a family of Spanish refugees, making immigration a deeply personal subject as well as a political issue.

Cantona has explored the same theme through his documentary, French Football: An Immigrant History. During his answer, he referred to Raymond Kopa’s Polish heritage and Michel Platini’s Italian roots as examples of migration shaping French football.

“And then Spanish, like me, my mother came from Spanish refugees,” Cantona said. “I cannot accept this kind of thing.”

His comments create a striking public disagreement between a defining former United player and the co-owner who has repeatedly presented him as a personal favourite.

Sir Jim’s position at Old Trafford ensures his public remarks will continue to attract scrutiny, while Cantona has now made clear that his objection is strong enough to have affected his historic decision to join the club.

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