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Friends, rivals...

lend me your eyes and ears.

This is not my story.

This is our story.

A story
about the soul of a city.

A working-class city.

And its community.

Its people. My tribe.

Manchester
is a... is an intriguing city.

A city like Manchester

is a special place.

The people celebrate life

against all the odds.

No one is more important
than anyone else.

We're all workers.
We're all pulling together here.

Home
of the Industrial Revolution.

Hard work
is in the people's blood.

I think
it's about having humility

and for anything you get out
in life, you have to work hard.

After the war,
they craved for release.

A pastime to unite them.

These people had a tough week.

They had nothing
but their football.

You gotta go out there
and entertain them.

The club's DNA is the
pioneering gene.

You see that in the city, too.

It's had its tough times
and its bad times.

But it's always related
to the community.

There's a certain responsibility

that came with wearing
the red shirt of Man United.

Every single game
carries importance

for the people
who sit there and watch it.

Your responsibility
is to play for them.

Young players,
academy players, youth.

Attractive football,
attacking football

that should bring Mancunians
to Old Trafford.

They're the ones
you're playing for.

Then the significance
of football

just becomes so much greater.

United has always
been renowned as a family.

That's what United was.

That's what United is.

The story of hope and fear.

Of delight and despair.

And all in between.

Manchester United

on the verge
of true sporting greatness.

We, players,
are just guardians of the shirt.

Handed down from one
generation to another.

To understand the United Way

means understanding
the Busby Babes.

The man you are looking at

is a football manager.

There are 91 others of his kind

in the football league
at the moment.

Yet few would deny
that this one is the greatest.

He's the man who's
the personification of his club

and of all that's good
in the game of football.

Matthew Busby was born to
the pit country of Lanarkshire,

son of an Orbiston miner.

And in that distinctive
Scottish way

was crazy about football.

When Matt Busby came
we were not a successful club

by any stretch
of the imagination.

So he had
a little bit of time to build.

The Busby Babes, they call them.

The harvest of young talent

which attracted
the attention of the world.

The darlings
of British football.

The public
couldn't have enough of them.

Busby Babes.

A band of brothers
with the world at their feet.

Duncan Edwards,
signed at 15 years.

Bobby Charlton,
signed at 15 years of age.

Eddie Colman, Geoff Bent.
You go on and on and on.

They were sought out
as schoolboy footballers.

When Matt came
straight after the War,

he put a lot of emphasis

into young players.

It was
a tremendously happy time.

There were boys that'd come to
this club from leaving school.

We lived with them.

They came, we nurtured them,
we watched them,

we looked after them,
they were coached.

We were sort of
all together type of thing.

You become a sort of family.

Under Busby
a philosophy came together.

The United Way is born.

After the horrors of the War,

people were looking
to rebuild lives.

United come along
with these fresh-face kids,

playing absolutely
wonderful football

and the whole nation
took them to heart.

They admired the football
that they played.

They admired the kind of man
Matt Busby was.

They resonated with so
many people across the country.

Those Busby Babes,

with their unmatched
post-war record

in cup and league football.

This team
conquered all before them.

And now Europe awaits.

United go into
this match with a 2-1 lead

from the first leg.

Over 50,000 are packed
into this JNA stadium.

We arrived in Belgrade.

It was such a thrill
to see the team lined up

before the kick-off.

I felt so proud of them.

United march on
to the next round.

We set off the following morning

with a scheduled stop in Munich
for a refuelling.

There was quite a lot of snow
on the ground in Munich.

We set off on the third attempt
and one of the crew said,

"Christ, we're not going
to make it."

We hit something.

There was an eerie silence.

I could see
quite a few seats strewn.

People were still strapped
in them, but they were dead.

Harry Gregg, the goalie,

had somehow
got out of the cabin.

Had heard a baby crying
and had rescued it

and he called to me to come
and take it from him.

The team were very modest

and they were
very sound young men.

They never had a chance
to say goodbye.

This tragedy...

touched the everyman.

This is Old Trafford

and today it's the heart
of a mourning city.

Everybody in Manchester,
everybody in Britain nearly

is looking to this ground.

How did you feel when you heard
the news of the crash yesterday?

Very upset. I'm sure it's upset
most of the people around here.

I'm sure it's a great loss
to everybody in Manchester.

Too awful for words, really.

I feel like the loss
of great sportsmen

and terribly upset.

The fact you're not a Manchester
man made no difference?

It makes no difference. They're
a fine team and I'm very sorry.

The one question
that's in everybody's mind is,

how's Matt Busby getting along?

This is the first thing
that the taxi driver asked me

when I got out of the train
at the station just now.

I can remember the matron coming
into the dormitory early evening

and telling me
that the plane had crashed.

I knew Matt very well.
He was a friend of my father's.

I used to call him Uncle Matt.

What would
become of Manchester United?

Eight of your players... gone.

Duncan Edwards killed.

David Pegg killed.

Bill Foulkes injured.

Mark Jones killed.

Ray Wood injured.

Eddie Coleman killed.

John Berry injured.

Roger Byrne killed.

Tommy Taylor killed.

Dennis Viollet injured.

Bill Whelan killed.

And Geoff Bent killed.

And the fact that the club
came back to play a match,

ten or 11 days
after such a tragedy,

has never, never ceased
to astound me.

My dad, working
in and around the city,

he went to Old Trafford

the first game after Munich.

And people of all football
allegiances, like my dad,

were actually asking, "Can
this club recover from this?"

And wanted the club to recover.

We went to the match
in our normal corner

and it was electric.

That's the match with the
programme with no names in it.

And United won.

And so for a 12-year-old
football life went on normally.

There was a need for solidarity.

The whole country
was with them in that moment.

To lose all those players,

who he'd known since boys

and had nurtured
and made into English champions

took a huge toll at the time.

And I don't think
he ever recovered from Munich.

We didn't bring Munich up
in front of him.

Mentally,
it was a terrible time.

They'd known not to discuss
anything at all at the time.

And all of a sudden,
Jean had said something about,

"Look, this is your life."

"This is something you've got
to do. You've got to face it."

"Er, you've got it
in your mind."

"And these boys probably would
want you to go back and all..."

All on their lines and
it started a little seed again.

And I got this obsession, again,

that Manchester United
were going to the top.

A tragedy that unifies.

That brings people together.

That makes you stronger.

They were a team
that had been devastated

and people wanted
to see them grow again.

♪ When I look up to the sky

♪ I see your eyes
a funny kind of yellow

How would
they rebuild from this tragedy?

♪ I rush home to bed
I sunk my head

Everyone
that he brought into the club

or came through
from the youth system...

It was like a jigsaw puzzle.

Jimmy Murphy was with him.
His number two was with him.

We gelled. We gelled.

That was the Matt Busby way.
That was the United way.

Manchester is coming alive.

Freedom. Joy.

Anything was possible.

Manchester was very lucky
to have a great mix of players.

Bobby was such a gentleman.

But he was demanding, Bobby.
He was a winner.

And Denis
was a fantastic goal scorer.

Was a finisher.

And then
you, obviously, had George,

who was out of this world.

He had everything. Just sublime.

Charlton, Best, Law.
The trinity.

Best again!

Goal! Superb!

This was football that
made cynics fall in love again.

Best. Charlton.

It's telepathic
between the two of them.

And it's number two!

Oh, what a finish!

♪ You in the sky,
you with the sky

♪ You make me cry, your eyes

♪ You in the sky,
you with the sky

♪ You make me cry, your eyes

United have scored!

Busby has masterminded
a quite astonishing rebuild.

Both sporting and spiritually.

Europe beckons once more.

For there lies greatness.

I still want Manchester United
to be the best team in Europe.

The only way they can be
the best team in Europe

is by winning the European Cup.

We knew... Each and everyone
of us knew the task ahead,

reflecting on ten years before.

We had to do it for them.

We've got to win.

Manchester United manager,
Matt Busby,

this moment, stands
on the threshold of a dream.

A dream of leading
the first English club

ever to capture
the European Cup.

It was like the Holy Grail.

Everybody wanted to win it
for Sir Matt.

And, obviously, everybody
that perished at Munich.

Benfica frustrating United here.

We didn't play that well.

Eusébio waltzing past defenders

like they aren't there.

Every one of us,
our heads were down.

United failing
to find any kind of rhythm.

In life, sometimes
terrible things happen,

and it knocks you down.

And sometimes
it pushes you forth.

Sadler
into Charlton. And it's there!

1-0 to Manchester United.

Lovely header
guided into the bottom corner.

Deep down,
each and every one of us,

we knew it was for them.

We've nurtured them.
We've watched them.

We've looked after them.

Oh, and three.

You become a sort of family.

Charlton loses
his man. Oh, yes, it's four.

That's the game
and that's the European Cup.

Manchester United
have well and truly done it.

They're finally champions
of Europe.

Matt Busby, this maestro,

has groomed a side
ten years on from disaster

to reach the very pinnacle
of football.

It was unbelievable.
Absolutely incredible.

We've done it. We've done it.

It's took ten years,
but we've done it.

It was a release.

I think it was just everything
that involved going back

to that terrible day,
February 6th, in Munich.

The United Way is established.

The damage
done to his body at Munich,

never mind his mental state,
was quite horrific.

He'd taken a battering.

He'd done his shift.

The Emperor stands down.

What's next?

All dynasties rise and fall.

We hadn't won
the league since 1967.

The season before,
I think we should have won it.

Leeds won it.

And one day,
I was sitting in my office,

and the phone rang

and it was the chief exec
of Leeds United.

I said, "Would you be willing
to sell Eric Cantona?"

Cos I'd read in the newspapers
that Wilkinson and Eric,

there were problems
and there were clashes.

I haven't had a problem
in my football career up to now

with any player
I've worked with.

He reads poetry.
He reads philosophy.

He paints.
Maybe that's different.

He said,
"What do you wanna pay for him?"

I said, "A million."

So, they said, "No, no. 1.5."

"No, no. A million."

And, eventually,
I got him down to the million.

"Can we say it's 1.2
because we'll get slaughtered?"

"The supporters
think the world of him."

I said, "You say
what you like."

Football and Manchester United

have signed the French
international striker,

Eric Cantona, from Leeds United

for fee of £1.2 million.

Well, ladies and gentlemen,

we're pleased to announce

that, we've agreed terms
with Leeds United

for the transfer
of Eric Cantona.

And he's agreed a new
three-and-a-half-year contract.

The stage is mine.

All eyes on me.

The Leeds fans probably today
won't agree with me,

but I think it's a shrewd sale.

Wilkinson's done wonders
for that team.

If he thought it was right for
him to get rid of Eric Cantona,

he's made the right decision.

Eric Cantona is 26 and
he's already had eight clubs.

What does that tell us?

Cantona doesn't fit the bill.

The only thing I recall is

seeing it on the news
that he'd signed.

In them days
it was, like, rumours

and social media.

Basically, you were
the last to know, the players.

Then I remember my mates going,
"What's this Cantona like?"

I think it was fair to say
we all didn't quite realise

how good he was until
he came and trained with us.

The way he went about his
business on the training ground,

he was a breath of fresh air.

We were all in awe of Eric

from the first moment
he arrived at the club.

Cos he was really
the first foreign star

that came into our club.

To see him
walk about the corridors,

to see him train,

it was one of those moments

where
there's youth team players,

you just sit there in awe
of everything that Eric did.

Eric, of course, had won
the league the year before,

so he had that confidence
where he'd already done it.

It was so huge.
We hadn't won it for 26 years.

We'd found it so hard.
Got close a couple of times.

He'd played a big part in
Leeds's win the previous year.

So that was always in the back
of everybody's minds.

The same narrative
was spoken about

at 26 years,
since they'd won the league.

Every year that went on,
the harder that became.

The players
are always being reminded

that they hadn't won that
for so many years

and you'll never be
as good a team

as past teams that have done it.

It's a big, big job.
It's a demanding job.

And particularly
following Sir Matt.

Who's gonna be the next manager?

You all try
and make speculations

because
it hadn't happened before.

But, I mean,
he was there 25, 26 years.

Well, there were
a series of managers,

as there are
when you're not playing well.

And it didn't really work.

They gave it Wilf McGuiness.

He was young, Wilf,
to take the job at that time.

Frank O'Farrell,
who I really liked.

That was a shame
cos he was a lovely man, Frank.

Who was it after?

Tommy Docherty, yes.

Tommy Doc was the next manager.

Tommy Doc took over

and had a bit of a relegation
scrap on his hands right away.

They were living in the
past. Members of the old team.

Yes.
All the old school had to go.

The end of an era.

The bond is broken.

The family is split.

How do you replace people

like Denis Law
and Bobby Charlton?

Players were leaving.
Players were coming in.

Tommy Docherty
was bringing these people in.

Players were leaving.

It was unbelievable the amount
of players that were coming in

and playing for us.

So you weren't settled.

George Best was thinking he's
carrying the weight of the club

because everybody looked up
to him to do something.

Things weren't
happening on the football field.

We were losing a lot of games.
We weren't scoring goals.

Things were beginning
to happen off the field.

I never saw George.

He was never there.

Maybe his drinking
started getting more regular.

And the press were on his back
following him everywhere.

A free spirit went down.

George was a footballer.

He never wanted
to be a role model.

Manchester United
are bottom of the First Division

facing the real prospect
of relegation.

Remember people saying, "United
are too good to go down."

I think certainly George Best
felt that was the case.

I picked him
to play on a Saturday.

About ten to three,

there was knock
on the dressing room door.

I opened it. George was there
with this gorgeous looking lady.

He said, "I've come to play."

I said, "You're in no condition
to play."

Which he wasn't.

He'd been a bit heavy
under the booze.

Besty came in

and I said,
"Everything all right, George?"

"I'm not playing today,"
he said and walked out.

That's the last I've seen him
at Old Trafford.

It was a disaster.

Just like that the most human
of heroes is gone.

Gallagher! Oh,
it's looped in and United are...

I let in 48 goals.

Does that
not tell you something?

It tells you we weren't playing
the Manchester United way

And we got relegated.

And across to Denis Law. Oh!

Denis Law has scored
for Manchester City.

What an irony.

What a cruel irony.

United are relegated.

United are down
and it's chaos here.

Utter chaos at Old Trafford.

We decided
to stick with the team

and bring in
one or two of the kids.

We had a good young set.

One or two good players
come in through the youth team.

He brought them back

into the top flight
two years ago

and now Tommy Docherty
has won them the FA Cup.

In '77 we won the FA Cup,

but it'd been ten years
since we'd won our trophy.

So, we weren't winning
a lot at the time.

A meeting of the directors
has decided unanimously

that Mr Docherty is in breach
of the terms of his contract

and his engagement
is terminated forthwith.

Tonight's decision
by Manchester United's directors

followed a fortnight
of speculation

about Docherty's future.

That began with the news
that Docherty left his wife

after 27 years of marriage,

for the 31-year-old wife
of the club's physiotherapist.

Not one player in that team
knew what was going on.

No one knew.

Nobody saw it coming

and Tommy Docherty obviously
felt a bit uncomfortable.

He... he not only went off
with somebody's wife,

he went off
with an employee of the club.

Docherty,
manager of United since 1972,

wouldn't talk to reporters

as he waited
for the directors' decision.

They met at the home of Louis
Edwards, the club's chairman.

Among them was Sir Matt Busby,

the former manager,
who flew back from Dublin,

specially
to attend today's meeting.

So Matt wanted it
to be a family, you know.

And that was what people...
thought of Manchester United.

Especially those
who worked in it.

Everyone was involved

and the directors
took their stance

that this can't happen
at Manchester United.

Matt Busby was a hindrance.

It was all down to Busby
that I got the sack.

I was very bitter.

They were the losers,
Manchester United.

Not me. I wasn't a loser.
They were the losers.

Great managers
rise to the challenge.

They are not afraid
of special players.

They search them out.

Well, I think
he's a Manchester United player.

He's an exciting player.

He's got all the assets
of the top players in the world.

He's come to a big, big club.

I just think they connected.
I just...

They had this understanding
of what was required

at that moment in time.

But I also think the manager

gave him that element
of freedom to perform,

to really show his talents
on a football field.

And everybody else sort of
moulded themselves around that.

It was the first time
you really saw a player

being treated different
for a reason.

That's what makes
a great manager.

He understood that
to get the best out of Eric,

he needed to be treated
in a different way.

I needed to be loved.

To belong.

To be part of a family.

The manager was
very good at managing people.

He knew
who he could have a go at.

He knew who he had
to put his arm round.

He knew who to let
have a little bit of leeway

'cos they expressed themselves
in certain different ways.

Eric was one
that got away with quite a bit

because he was just different.

He was different,
the way he dressed, acted,

the way he portrayed himself.

I think
what the manager looks for

was your character, where
you're from, your background.

To make sure that you're
the right type of character.

Forget the playing side of it.

With Eric it's straightforward.

99 things out 100 are
straightforward with the lad.

He loves his training,
he loves to practise,

he's got great pride.

He's got a short fuse.

People say he's this,
people say he's that.

I'm not interested.

So long as it doesn't interfere

with the running of
Manchester United football club.

And it doesn't.

The thing about Eric

is he's very much his own man.

If you respect him fully,
he gives you everything.

Yeah, he was the boss's
favourite by a country mile,

but it didn't bother us.

There was not one player
that would turn round and say,

"It is a little bit unfair that
he treated Eric differently."

Eric was different. He deserved
to be treated different.

He felt like
a man of the people.

He really did.
Like he belonged to the people.

And nobody could believe
that a man of his talent

was like one of us.

I was an outsider.

But I felt strongly the energy
of this club and this city.

The energy only can come
from the soul of the people.

And from the soul of the place.

I went to places
like The Haçienda,

to enjoy the music,
the city, the people.

That was important for me

to absorb the vibe,
to understand it.

In Marseille, growing up,
I felt free.

In Manchester,
I felt that freedom again.

Marseille's a very,
very hard, working-class city.

Same as Manchester.

Marseille's not establishment.

Manchester's not establishment.

That's what Eric was like.

I think he recognises
his background

in the people of Manchester.

Eric found the right place
for himself.

I feel at one

with cities built on defiance.

That stand
on their own two feet.

I remember knowing
Manchester as a real dark place.

The late-'70s, there wasn't
an awful lot to enthuse you

about coming over to Manchester.

You think, somebody
please put the lights on.

Brighten up
the place a little bit.

The late-'70s was a time

when the Northwest suffered.

And that area
around Old Trafford,

I think, was an area of a lot
of dereliction, unemployment.

The starting point

was the social breakdown
of the Winter of Discontent

under Mr Callaghan in 1978.

And the Northwest
was particularly badly affected.

The cosy world which we were
told would go on for ever,

where full employment
would be guaranteed

by a stroke
of the chancellor's pen,

cutting taxes,

deficit spending,

that cosy world is gone.

Destitution, demoralisation,

huge levels of unemployment.

Real poverty.

That's, that's what life
was like then, you know.

People's lives weren't great.

Football was
the be all and end all.

And it created
a kind of atmosphere at times

that spilled over into violence.

The game
had become unattractive.

The grounds were dreadful.

The obvious place
for the hooligans.

Manchester United

are banned
from European football

after the fighting
involving their fans

in France last month.

Chelsea supporters were involved

in more fighting
with United supporters.

This time outside Old Trafford.

United have had
to put up with the hooligans

amongst their supporters
for several years now.

But never before
has the team itself

actually lost a match
because of them.

The beautiful game is broken.

Sullied.

These are testing times.

We hadn't won
the league for a number of years

and I just felt that the team
wasn't progressing.

We needed a new manager.

There was just a little bit of
a quibble over the company car.

At the time I'd got
a top-of-the-range Merc.

They offered me,
I think, it was a Rover.

I said, "I've got a dog
called Charlie."

"Let's talk cars."

I really can't stand
the word "pressure"

because I think we look
for self-sympathy in the game,

whether it's footballers,
managers, directors, whatever.

He came
with a bit of flamboyancy.

And it was like as if they
were trying to change the image.

Not so much the look of
the club, but the image of it,

from a point of view of what
was being portrayed to the fans.

Ron saw himself
as first-team manager only.

And I don't think
he got much involved

in a great deal outside of that.

There was still young players
floating around,

but Ron had the cheque book.

There was never a question
of neglecting the youth side.

But we had
to get the first team right.

That was the first priority.

I mean, you can't go around
to the fans and say,

"Hey, we ain't half gonna have
a side in five years' time."

The first thing he said to me,

"We've got
to have Bryan Robson."

Don't worry.
You're buying solid gold.

This is biggest deal

in the history
of English football.

What does that mean to you?

Well, I'm proud that something
like that is happening,

but I like
to just get on with the game.

I knew Ron really well

and I knew
how he wanted me to play.

I wanted to win things and
I knew I had a far better chance

at Manchester United.

Hurry up, lan,
and let's get ready.

We're working this afternoon.

Got you. He's there now.

The new Emperor.

His new clothes. His way.

Nothing happened on a Friday.
We just played five-a-sides.

And Ron was integral to that.

He loved to join in himself.

Which was a bit unusual
because he couldn't really play.

And they were doing
some crossing.

Ron was again integral to that.

He passed the ball out
from the centre of the pitch.

Get out in the right back
and curl it in

and get on the end of it.

All you have to do is put it in.

Generally wisecrack his way
through the training session.

"Right, lads,
see youse tomorrow."

Er, right, OK what happens now?
Who's playing?

Turned up on a Saturday.
Went to the Midlands Hotel.

Still nothing before the meal,
we thought, "What's happening?"

And then he would open up his
briefcase and I thought, "Yes."

He'll have all the team talks.

He would pass folders round

and we can see
who we're playing against.

So he lifted up his briefcase.

It was full
of aftershave, hairspray.

Done himself up a bit, and went,

"OK, lads,
this is the way we're playing."

"Two big guys up front."

Bump, diddly, bump.
Winger, da, da, da.

And that was the team talk.

I thought, "No, no,
that's it then." Quite simple.

It was larger than life.

And that was his thing.

Making you feel good
all the time.

Saying things
that make you feel good.

Probably his weaknesses, the
only weakness, I'd say, was...

"You can do what you want
outside football,

as long as you turn up
on a Saturday and play.

Life's too short, really.

Socially,
we all lived reasonably close

to each other in those days.

There was always
captains' team meetings

on Tuesdays or Wednesdays

and Robbo would say,
"Right, it's captains' day,"

which meant, basically, you had
to go to the pub and stay there

for as long
as you could bear it.

I'd go into the bars
and just say,

"We're having
a bonding session, gaffer."

"We're going out here,
going out there."

The boss was all for it.

I went out with them
once, when I first got there,

and I ride back in the boot
of Bryan Robson's car.

Whiteside, Robson, McGrath
are the three names

that always get mentioned.

And we did, we did like
to go out and have a few pints.

Well, I say to them boys,
"You were our three best players

week in and week out.

Why didn't you get the rest
of the boys out with you?"

We would have been unbeatable.

Oh, what a strike!

If you can get people
enjoying what they're doing,

then you're gonna get
more out of them.

A big trophy for Big Ron.

We did have a good cup run.

We won it in '83 and '85.

I mean,
it's the biggest cup in Britain

and we've got the best support.

It's the league
that United fans want.

An FA Cup is six matches.

It's not hard.
Any club can win an FA Cup.

It's the league
that's the big one; 42 matches.

FA Cup triumph for Man United.

I got that family
feeling when I was there.

They had a humility about them.
All these guys.

And a friendliness.
And a camaraderie.

But they never excluded anybody.

I think your liver excluded you

from these parties,
now and then.

It wasn't parties.

It was just going to pubs
and sitting down and drinking.

And that held us back.
There's no doubt about it.

Because I spoke
to Jesper Olsen's fitness coach

and he says,
"Youse are losing players

left, right and centre
of injuries cos of the alcohol."

We were reasonably successful.

We were never
out of the top four.

We qualified for Europe
nearly every year.

We won a couple of FA Cups.

So, we weren't unsuccessful,

but, again,
after four, five years

we weren't looking like
winning the league.

It was still 18
years since we won the league.

Nineteen years
since we won the league.

At that time, Liverpool
were absolutely a machine,

but I did feel that
with the players that we had,

we could win the league.

Things had gone
a little bit wrong

and I wasn't sure
that we could pull it round.

I just felt a change
was needed at that stage.

We went in training one morning.

My boots aren't out for training
and I get a message,

"Chairman wants to see you."

And Mick Brown says,
"The Chairman wants to see us."

I just remember Mick saying,
"What do you think he wants?"

I said, "Don't ask
for a rise today, Mick."

"I don't think
that's gonna happen."

Manchester United Football Club
sacked their manager,

Ron Atkinson, today

and with him goes his
assistant, Mick Brown.

I actually had no indication
what was gonna happen.

I've come down today

expecting, a nice five-a-side
and what have you.

The Chairman
called for me at 10.30.

They told me, reluctantly,
I felt reluctantly,

that they decided
to dispense with my services

because of the results
over the last few months.

And I accept that totally.

Bump.

We went, "Well, what do
you mean, gone?" "I'm away."

"Right, OK."

So, we just looked at
each other a bit and he went,

"Everybody at my house tonight.
Eight o'clock, party."

And that's what it was.

Round to Ron's for a party.

To celebrate him
getting the sack.

Right, here's Fergie.

There was
only one target for me.

And that was Alex Ferguson.

I knew that if I rang up
Aberdeen at switchboard

and just said it was
Martin Edwards, the Chairman,

and I suddenly wanted
to speak to Alex Ferguson,

then I may not
have been put through.

So we went straight to Mike.

"Hello.
Can I speak to Alex, please?"

I think he was pretending
to be Gordon Strachan's agent.

She said, "Oh, John, how are
you? How are the children?"

And I saw the sweat
was pouring down.

I said, "They're fine,
thank you. Fine."

Can I speak to Alex, please?

She said,
"Sure. I'll put you through."

Welcome to Manchester.

Ooh! This is different, lads.
This is seriously different.

"I'm Alex Ferguson."

"I'm manager
of Manchester United now."

"I don't care who you are. I
don't care if you're Whiteside,

Robson, McGrath,
Strachan. Whatever."

He said, "I am the manager

of Manchester United
from this day."

I woke up this morning, Alex,

to read
that you're gonna win the title.

Well, what I've said is that
starting today we have to win.

And we have to start thinking
of winning every game now.

The first
pre-match meal we ever had

he got the waitresses to take
away butter and bring margarine.

He wouldn't allow us
to have salt.

Oh, he was authoritative.
There's no doubt about that.

He was a man in control.
He was the boss.

Yeah, he was more disciplined.

There were more boundaries and
rules that you had to abide by.

The structure
of the club and the scouting,

to the youth team

to the way that everything
was sort of run,

it was all geared to be his way.

And there goes
the final whistle.

Manchester United, one goal
only in the last six games now.

No win in their last six.

The vultures
are already circling.

And the knives are out.

The atmosphere
sometimes could be critical.

The media certainly
could be critical.

There were moments

when you thought he was
coming under real pressure.

I think he knew himself that
he needed to turn it around.

I was just hopeful
that he could turn it round

before we had to make
any decisions to the contrary.

We knew how hard
he was working with the scouts,

we knew the emphasis
he put on youth.

The time and effort
he put into it

was just unbelievable, really.

He was there first thing
in the morning, last to leave.

He's one of those believers,

the more you put in,
you get out.

And it is
that working-class ethic.

Patience. Rare in football.

But a most precious commodity
for a manager.

I think that Cup run
was the biggest pressure of all.

The media were trying
to build that game up to be

a crucial game for his future.

We just knew, as a group,
that we had to do better.

We had to do more.

We just felt if he
could just get some success

it would all come right.

He was fearless
in what he'd done.

He would just stick by it

and he'd always believe
he could make it work

to suit Manchester United
as a football team

and a football club.

You've gotta win
your domestic title.

That's what you're judged on.
Your competition.

The competition
in your own environment.

And that was always
the, uh, the holy grail.

And the players
are always being reminded

that they hadn't won that
for so many years.

Arch-rivals take to the field

with United still
in this race for the title.

Up until Christmas,

we looked as if
we were odds on favourites.

We, you know, we played
some fantastic football.

And, um, and if we're being
brutally honest,

we, uh, bottled it a bit.

And Walters on the follow-up!

And the title will go to Leeds!

Manchester United have blown it.

We'd handed the opportunity
to Leeds to go on and win it.

It's the most disappointed I'd
ever been, really, in football.

After the game someone asked me
for my autograph.

And I signed it and they ripped
it up in front of me.

They said,
"You'll never win the league."

Sir Alex used that as a tool
to, um, to make it,

"It's us against the world,"
basically.

He made a point of
saying it on the coach,

"This is what happened."

"Next year, we come back, and
we don't let this happen again."

"Right, we'll show people."

"We'll show them what we're
about and what we're gonna do

and we will overcome it."

We've got to assemble a squad

which is good enough
to win the Premier League.

We had a great
presence about that team.

And so, that dressing room could
handle a character.

And Eric was definitely
a character.

Manchester United needed me.

And I needed them.

I was an outsider, but...
I was accepted.

I was born to play
for Manchester United.

It's a good cross,
and Cantona...

Beautiful turn on his first goal
for Manchester United.

Eric became a catalyst in a way.

He was different.
He trained differently.

He looked after himself
differently.

As time went on, he just changed
everybody's mentality.

A lot of people say a talisman,
but I think it's more than that.

When we bought Cantona,
everything seemed to kick off.

There was
a different culture at the club.

You were seeing
these young kids,

like little cats, sneaking up,

getting closer and closer
to Eric.

And before we knew it, they
were doing the same as he did.

From that point on,
we never really looked back.

♪ Don't waste your words,
I don't need anything from you

♪ I don't care
where you've been or what...

Hughes!

We really believed that we could
win the league that year.

The boys had loads of belief
in themselves.

There was a determination
amongst us all.

Cantona picks out Hughes.

And another cracker.

The fans, the culture, the city.

That was the energy
that pushed us forward.

We were taught to be brave,
to take chances...

- Cantona.
- ..be confident.

It's a night where you can relax
and play but win.

It was just there,
you could feel it.

Determination to make sure that
we got over the line this time.

Bruce!

♪ I am the resurrection
and I am the life

Unbelievable!

They've come back
from the dead in this one.

United are Kings of England once
more. Champions, once again.

Champions.

♪ I am the resurrection
and I am the life

♪ I couldn't ever bring myself

♪ To hate you as I'd like

We all felt the joy
that we'd brought to Man U

after 26 years.

I can always remember

Sir Matt's smiling face
in the stand.

He was just so delighted

that the club had won it
after so many years.

It was like a weight was lifted

and it really meant everything

to the group of players
and to the city.

Manchester did feel like
the centre of the universe.

You just felt this connection

between the music
and the football.

Old Trafford in the afternoon.
The Haçienda in the night time.

What a perfect weekend.

The music scene was flying.

We had all the best bands
around the world were all local.

Added to that, football,
we were taking off.

Goes for
the chip, and, oh, exquisite!

The city was upbeat.

You realise that something
special is going on,

something's really,
really happening.

Definitely did feel
that the pressure was off.

And the shackles were off.

He's made
an opening, can he finish it?

He can!

Every time we went up
against opposition,

we'd look across and believe

that the opposition
were beaten in the tunnel.

We had that... arrogance,
really,

and that confidence that we were
gonna win games.

We felt unbeatable.

Oh, c'est magnifique!

We felt unstoppable.

Irwin!

Oh! An absolute rocket
from Cantona!

United, champions again.

And this time winners,
of the League and Cup double.

The winner of the PFA
Player of the Year Award

for 1994 is...

Eric Cantona.

Well done.

You thoroughly deserve that.
Really, well done.

Well done.

I'm very happy and very proud
to get this prize tonight.

And I would like to say, first,

I owe all my success
to Manchester United.

To my manager, Alex Ferguson.

My coach, Brian Kidd.

All my team mates, the staff,
and the fans.

After that I would like,
uh, congratulate

all the people from football
in England.

Even the player
who didn't vote for me.

For... for all the pleasure
they give me

to play in this
magnificent football.

English football. Thank you
very much, to everybody.

Always around that time,
January, Selhurst Park.

They're the.. These are
the games that win you leagues.

We knew it was gonna be tough.

You know, it's blustery,
it's pouring down, it's windy.

Bobbly pitch.
Not great conditions to play in.

Whenever we went away
to away grounds,

you hear the sound of the crowd
and the baying of the crowd.

That was just to-to irritate

and try and get a reaction
out of the players.

Some of the abuse that
we used to get was ridiculous.

It's a cold
and windy winter night

here in South London.

This will be a test
of United's credentials.

It was a frustrating game.
Uh, Palace were frustrating us.

We weren't playing
flowing football.

Cantona, strongly dispossessed

and claiming the foul.

But not getting it.

But what you don't see,
for the first 60 minutes,

is Eric getting kicked.

Shaw comes right through him.

You gotta let it
go over your head,

but sometimes it gets a bit much
for you, doesn't it?

I was injured,

so I was listening to the game
on the radio.

I always felt I could read
when his eyes used to go black.

So when those occasions
occurred, I always felt,

"OK, Eric, don't worry about
it. I'll-I'll sort this guy."

"You go look for space over
there while you calm down."

Cantona gets
to his feet, quite gingerly.

Long clearance from Schmeichel.

And a problem off the ball
immediately.

Cantona and Shaw
tangle once more.

And the referee is coming over

and immediately
shows the red card!

Cantona is dismissed!

Where can there be a place
in the game

for a man of such
extravagant talent?

A man of such wicked
temperament?

For the fifth time

as a Manchester United player,
Eric Cantona is sent off.

Sir Alex
isn't even looking at him.

So, I don't know if Eric's
caught, sort of,

the sight of the manager
not even looking at him,

and that, sort of,

added a little bit more fire
in his belly.

And then it's just, obviously
something's just... switched.

Dismissed and has now...

Oh my goodness me! He just
kicked, he's punched a fan!

Eric Cantona has jumped in and
scissor, kung-fu kicked, a fan!

Manchester United fans
are coming across!

I have never seen
as disgraceful incident as that

in all my years in football!

Eric Cantona should be
thrown out of the game

for that sort of incident!

He launched himself
six feet into the crowd

and kung-fu kicked a supporter
who was eye-witness...

I have been insulted
thousands of times

and I have never reacted.

But sometimes...

you're fragile.

I think within
the changing room,

it was more about the game,
the disappointment,

but you knew there was something
else that had happened...

that was at the back
of everyone's mind.

Uh, back of the manager's mind.

"How am I gonna
deal with this now?"

Keep back, please.
Can you keep back.

Alex!

The directors of Manchester
United are meeting now

to discuss the future of their
fallen star, Eric Cantona.

The man promoted
as the greatest player in Europe

is tonight best known

for the most outrageous
piece of behaviour

in the history
of the British game.

Should Eric Cantona
be banned for life?

No, he shouldn't.
He's got to be banned

and he's got to be disciplined.

But it would
just be such a waste.

What happened last night
was a stain on our game.

The Football Association
has this evening

charged Eric Cantona of
Manchester United and France

with misconduct that has
brought the game into disrepute.

Neither explanation
nor apology so far today

from Eric Cantona, the man who,
this time, it seems,

has simply gone too far.

What do you think's
gonna happen?

Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.

Manchester United has today
suspended Eric Cantona

from all first team matches

for the remainder
of the 1994/95 season.

Most Manchester United fans

will clearly wait for Cantona.

But will Cantona wait for them?

When he was similarly punished
in France, he quit the game,

saying it was all beneath him.

Eric Cantona should be
suspended forthwith

from all football activities,

up to and including
September 1995.

He has given a statement
to the police,

he has been charged.

The charge is of common assault.

Magistrate Jean
Perch ordered he go to jail.

Cantona's barrister argued

that they sent Cantona to prison

not because of the seriousness
of the offence,

but because
he was a public figure.

Stuart, from the gallery,

I think we're talking about him
almost coming in any moment.

Yeah, gallery, this is it.

First of all, I've got
a brief statement in English

and then Eric Cantona
would like to say a few words.

Eric Cantona's appeal

against the custodial sentence
of 14 days was allowed today

and a community service order
of 120 hours substituted.

Eric Cantona would like
to say a few words.

My mind was clear,
this was my time.

This was my message.

When the seagulls...

follow the trawler,

it's because they think

sardines will be thrown
into the sea.

Thank you.

I don't regret it.

I have one regret...

I would have loved to kick him
even harder.

I was banned for nine months.

I was very upset and...

and sad and disappointed.

They wanted me to be an example,
I didn't want to be an example.

I'm just a human being.

That was
a very difficult summer.

They'd lost the title
on the last day by a goal.

They lost the FA Cup final.

And then some
of the players left.

How do you let players
like Mark Hughes, Paul Ince

and Andrei Kanchelskis,
who, all three of them

would have been
in every starting eleven.

Why do you let them go and
don't sign any other players?

And I asked him this, "Why?"
And he said,

"If I develop players
through my academy,

if I don't make room to them,
uh, for them in my first team,

they will stagnate and it's been
a waste of time."

If a youth team gives you one
player

that gets into the first team
each year, that's fantastic.

But we had, probably,
eight broke into the first team.

I remember him telling me,

"I think my lads
are good enough,

so I'm gonna promote them."

Beckham, Scholes, Butt,
the Nevilles.

All Manchester United fans.

And the Boss kept telling us
about them all the time.

If they've got the temperament,

they've got a good chance.

There's only one way you're
gonna find out, playing them.

They're good players, but...

It was a massive thing.

I mean, even,
I think, as players,

you're thinking,
"What are you doing?"

We'd come through
the youth team.

We'd come through
the reserve team.

We were a...
a very close family.

The players come through
the academy.

If they are good, they will be
better than any kind of player.

Because they will have
the soul of the club.

And the identity of the club.

Ferguson did what he
thought was right for the team,

and therefore the club.

He wanted to build a young team,

not unlike Matt Busby.

You could see what he was trying
to do with the youth team

and especially when he brought
Brian Kidd into the club.

Get all the best young players
around the Northwest area.

The emphasis went
more back with development

and particularly the, uh,

local development.

You know,
the Greater Manchester area.

Which was my role,
I was given that role,

local talent, really.

That's the heritage
at Manchester United.

You know, and Sir Matt
built teams, like Sir Alex did.

You know,
they rebuilt teams there.

That's what he was doing then.

It's not easily replaced,
these iconic figures.

Eric Cantona has said he wants

to leave Manchester United
and English football.

The FA inquiry into his
appearance in a friendly game

against Rochdale last month

appears to have triggered
his request to leave.

I played with the...
with the reserve team.

We closed all the doors,
and, uh...

I was not allowed to play with
a shirt of Manchester United.

So I play with the reserve team,
with that shirt.

Closed everything.
It was just a friendly game.

But a journalist
was on the top of the...

of a tree outside
and he took a picture.

And, uh, unfortunately,
he didn't fall.

And the day, after it was
in the paper

and the FA wanted me...
to ban me even more.

Tonight, the star
himself is reported

to be in Paris contemplating
an uncertain future.

A spokesman for
Manchester United said tonight,

the board had considered
Cantona's request carefully,

but had decided they were not
prepared to release him.

Whether they can keep him here
against his will,

contract or not,
is another matter all together.

The siege mentality,
we just, uh...

we just circled the wagons

and everybody went inside
and then all stuck together.

The manager protected players
at our club, you know.

Because we all know that
when the manager was there

for the years that he was
and the success that he had,

it was because when you're
a Manchester United player

and something goes on in the
club or in your personal life,

you are treated like family.

The Boss had gone
to reassure him.

We was all behind him.

He was loved.

I had a chat with Eric
yesterday morning.

I listened to him
and I can understand exactly

what he's saying.

He trained so hard
in the pre-season

and then all of a sudden
it was taken away from him.

You hear things and...

gradually you're not seeing
as much as... much of him.

Um...

So then you start to wonder,
you know, does he need this?

You know. Is he gonna go off
somewhere else?

Many United fans
see Eric Cantona

as the lynchpin
of Manchester United.

Do you see him as essential
to United?

Yeah, I think so.

In fact, what I-I-I'm probably
weak on

is, maybe, big game experience.

With players like Nicky Butt,
Paul Scholes,

the two Nevilles, David Beckham.

Can you win the
title next season if Eric stays?

Oh, yes.
I'm absolutely certain of that.

Can you win it if he goes?

We would have to
get a really good replacement.

He found
the right words, like always.

I loved him and I respected him
like a father.

When a manager does something
like this...

to his player...

for sure the player will
give his life to the manager.

And to the club.
And to the fans.

Everybody.

Is he gonna play on Sunday?

Yes.

- Definitely.
- From the start?

Right from the start.

Welcome the King back in style!

Get your Eric the King
souvenirs!

Ooh, aah, ooh, aah, Cantona!

God is back, he's appearing
at Old Trafford today.

Miracles don't happen
that often.

What do you think about today?

Well, like every football fan
in the country, Martin,

I'm really excited
about the return

of the league's
most talented footballer.

I think it gave us as a club
and the team a real boost

to have Eric back on the pitch.

Cantona...

Puts it away. The script
is written. He's back again.

Two-two.

The fans were behind me.

The-the-the...
Everybody at the club.

In some clubs, maybe they
would have sacked me,

and Manchester United
offered me a new contract.

That's the difference between
Manchester United

and the other ones.

Played across.
Oh, it's flying in.

And United have closed the gap
at the top of the table.

This combination
of what was there,

what came in
and then Eric returning...

it just made us
an incredible team.

Footballer of the year.

He came back
to drag United from nowhere.

To see Eric back playing,
the excitement.

It gave us that extra push
that season.

James gets there,
just, first... Cantona!

United have done it. League
and Cup double winners again.

This double, for me,
means a lot.

It was a double, uh...

with a new generation
of players.

Ferguson thought he
was going to create this empire.

Cos most people don't think
about creating an empire,

they just think about,
"How do I win the next game?"

Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.

We have asked you
to come along today

so that we may announce

that Eric Cantona has indicated
his wish to retire from football

with immediate effect.

I didn't see it coming,
personally.

Um, and I was devastated when,
when I heard the news.

I couldn't comprehend how
someone at such a young age,

with so much talent
would just leave the game and...

it was sad for us because,
you know, he was our talisman,

he was our leader.

It was really difficult
to understand

as a player and as a team mate.

But, I think once Eric makes
his mind up, you know,

he's that type of person
that, you know,

no one could change that.

The last game of the league
that season,

he rented a restaurant locally.

For me and Jordi and Eric
and our families.

We had a good time, great night.

Celebrated winning the league
again.

It was two days after,
I listened to the radio

and it was announced
that he'd retired.

And he never mentioned
one word to us.

We were dancing, having fun.

Four o'clock in the morning,
we went home and not one word.

And that was Eric
in a nutshell for you.

I love the game.

I love the fire inside of me.

I love the adrenaline,
I love... I love that.

I played it as, like a kid.
It was my dream.

When this dream
became like a routine,

I don't want to play football
like this.

I want to be faithful to myself

and to the... to the fans
and everybody.

And there is so many things
to do in life.

I don't have time to waste.

It is time to pass the baton
on to the next generation.

My phone rang.

"David, it's the Boss."

And I was like, "OK, hi, Boss.
Uh, are you OK?"

And he said, "Yes, we're, we're
signing, um, Teddy Sheringham."

"And he's gonna take
the number 10 shirt."

And I was like, "Boss, I wanna
keep the number 10 shirt."

"I like wearing the number 10.
I enjoy wearing the number 10."

"Can I keep it?"

"Nope. Teddy's having it.
Don't worry about it, son."

Phone down.

I was devastated for the
whole... the whole summer.

And then I went back
into pre-season

and the manager pulled me
into his office

and he was like, um,
"How you feeling?"

I was like, "Well, you know,
I'm OK, Boss."

I would never turn round
to him and say,

I'm-I'm, you know, a bit upset.

He said, "Oh, by the way, um,

yeah, you're gonna have the
number seven shirt this year."

And all of a sudden I went from
being devastated

to being one of
the happiest people.

Because, as a United fan,
you grow up

knowing that that number seven
shirt has been worn by

George Best,

Bryan Robson,

Eric Cantona.

As much as I...

as I was gonna miss Eric,

I was kind of happy that I had
the number seven shirt.

And then kind of nervous that
I had to live up to anything

that he came close to.

You join us here
on this parade in North London

where you can see Arsenal...

That year
was a tough year for us.

It was a really tough year.

'97-'98 was a,
you know, a fiasco.

What we were up against
was an incredible team.

Didn't end up winning anything.
That was a... a major blow.

Whenever you're not successful

of winning a league,
winning an FA Cup...

it's always tough at United.

But that came from, you know,
being a youth team player.

You know, defeat or...

having no success hurt.

It always hurt us, deeply.

It's together we experience
pain and glory.

We...

we fall and rise... together.

We had to make adjustments.

We had to change.

We knew what we had to do.

We had to
come back stronger and...

and that's what the manager
prepared us for.

The manager was a genius
at getting into your head.

Erm, he made us all believe
that everyone hated us.

All of the fans hated us.

He made us believe the referee
didn't like us.

The mentality, he had us in
like siege mentality.

"No-one likes you. Everyone
wants to beat Man United."

Right, OK.

What he instilled in
his players, week in, week out.

"You make sure you fight
till the bitter end."

That is a problem for them,
by the way.

We get the ball transferred
into these areas there.

I don't think
they've a chance against us.

That particular season
epitomises

how Sir Alex Ferguson
worked as a manager.

Obviously,
going into that season,

we'd had the disappointment
of... the season before.

There was a lot of doubters
out there.

As a team, I don't think
we wanted to go through

another season
of disappointment.

That's a dangerous ball
in and, ah, it's there!

United with
a last-minute winner.

I'd never felt like that
playing football before.

That's when the pressure
was really, really on.

It was that
little bit different.

Just that little bit different.

Two heavyweights go toe-to-toe,

and the atmosphere is electric.

Oh, magnificent from
David Beckham!

Bergkamp strikes from distance!

It wasn't just a football match,
it was a battle.

Cynical from Keane.

And he's off.
The red card for Roy Keane.

Penalty...
saved by Schmeichel!

You just felt,
after that semi-final win that,

yes, there is something
special we can do.

Giggs... still going.

And twisting defenders
on the run. Oh, what a finish!

We played some
of the best football...

that we'd played in some time.

We did play
like a team possessed.

The focus on Europe
became more intense.

I think that was... that was
always our goal... you know,

to be successful in Europe.

The manager always
spoke about us as a team,

as individuals
being successful in Europe.

Keane! It's 2-2!

Cole will finish it off.

Manchester United are in sight
of the European Cup Final.

Full speed ahead, Barcelona!

We kept winning, simple as that.

That's what it's about.
You get in that momentum

whereby you're winning
week in, week out.

It was one of those
superhuman feelings...

that the whole team
believed that...

"Nah, this is gonna
be our year."

And I just felt
that everything that year...

came down to the last 11 days.

We'd done a couple of doubles,

but nobody had ever done...
a treble.

Eleven days
to fulfil a collective dream.

Manchester United

- on the verge...
- -Just 11 days.

He's found Cole. Lovely
control.

Can he lift it over? He has!

What a finish! It's gone
right to the final whistle

on the final day
of the league season.

And Manchester United
have regained their crown.

I don't think any of us
were tired at that point

you know, because
we were running on adrenaline.

Part two of
Manchester United's pilgrimage

to the promised land.

Scholes slides it through.

Sheringham. Oh, what a start!

Whenever you, er...
had spare time

or you were ever
just sat at home...

not letting yourself drift off

to thinking about
winning the treble.

That was my like... cos
you could quite easily think...

"We could do something
unbelievable here."

We knew it was all leading up

to that final game.

We'd never played in, you know,
a Champions League Final before.

You know, to play
at the Nou Camp,

to play against...
the mighty Bayern Munich.

And it was probably
one of the only games...

in my career
that I was slightly nervous for.

You just kept thinking
about the game.

And that was probably
the biggest in my career.

"Oh, come on, please.
Just get the game over with."

"I just want to play the game."

The one game in my life
I can honestly say...

yeah, I was nervous.
Cos I'd never been here before.

I was going into the unknown.

This is our moment...

to seek out greatness.

The footballing fates await.

And then finally,
you're actually there.

It was like,
"Oh, my... come on."

"This...
this is a dream come true."

Who are we?
What are we about?

How much are we prepared
to invest in this?

- How far are we prepared to go?

It's a chance of a lifetime.

We weren't playing well.
We didn't have that flow.

We didn't have that fluidity
that... we so...

we normally have.

People weren't
doing their jobs right.

Giggsy weren't
running past people.

Becks weren't putting
great crossing in.

Yorke and Coley
weren't linking up.

I was giving the ball away.

The back four
were getting beat at the back.

Basler. Oh, deflected it in!

Sir Alex has come up to me
and he said,

"Ted, if the score
stays the same,

if it's still 1-0
after 15, 20 minutes,

you'll be going on.
So make sure you're ready."

They hit the bar.
They hit the post.

They had real chances.

We've still got a chance.
We can't play any worse.

We gotta play better.

We were a team that...
were prepared to take risks...

er, to gain,
or claw something back.

I'm ready here. This is what
I've been preparing for.

Always believe.

Three added minutes.

Even though there was only...
three minutes left,

we knew that... we just
needed that one opportunity.

In towards Schmeichel.

That group of players
refused to be beaten.

Giggs
with the shot. Sheringham!

From tragedy...
comes triumph.

From disaster...

comes glory.

Beckham. Into Sheringham...

And Solksjaer has won it!

Kings of Europe again.

And nobody will ever win
a European Cup Final

more dramatically than this.

This is a story of a community.

A tribe.

The years pass,
the tribe evolves.

Power fades and perishes.

The empire grows,
the dynasty expands,

but the soul remains intact.

What does your tribe
say about you?

About your heart. Your head.
Your soul.

What touched my heart,

and I'll-I'll never forget
is the scenes...

when we got back to Manchester.

We did it... for them.

Turning into Deansgate
will live with me

for the rest of my life.

When... you see
the oceans of people...

you realise how much it meant
to so many people in Manchester.

I'd like to think
that in its foundations...

it is an ordinary club
doing its best.

Football has that power.

It has that power
to change people's lives.

There was many reasons
why Manchester United

were successful at that time.

You know, Sir Alex Ferguson,
the manager, the boss...

bringing the youth team players
through that he did.

Those players before us...

you know, to understand
the history, the city.

The club, the fans.

To give everything on the pitch.

And then Eric.

And when you're
a Manchester United player...

there's nothing more
important than being...

taught by players
like Eric Cantona.

To understand United
is to understand

the fundamental aspect
of the human mosaic.

What thrills us.
What scares us.

What makes us feel alive.

Maybe I should wear my collar...
collars up for this interview.

We had to wear club blazers.

Eric would turn up
in crushed velvet jackets

and open-neck shirts,

while we were all stiff-collared
and club ties.

If Eric... put on
a black bin bag,

somehow he would
put something on the bin bag

to make it look
like a designer bin bag.

We all tried to do
the collar thing,

and we all thought that
we could get away with it

but erm, none of us could,
you know?

It never looked as good.
It never...

we always felt like,
that we were...

copying Eric,
and not in a cool way.

So, you know,
we tried it in a few games,

but then it was like, no.

Just let Eric do that.

We used to go to the local pub.

And erm... and of course,
the typical British they are,

the round was four pints
of Guinness, four lagers,

five... five pints of bitter.
And, of course, for Eric,

a glass of champagne.

Everybody's grateful
for what Eric did for the club

because, even now, what...

23, 24 years after he's left...

people still sing his song.

That's how special
he is to this club.

He was with us
for five full seasons.

We won the league
in four of those seasons.

We did the double twice.

We... We lost one season.

While I was banned.

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