I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cockier spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.
If ever there was one player, anywhere in the world, that was made for Manchester United, it was Cantona. He swaggered in, stuck his chest out, raised his head and surveyed everything as though he was asking: ‘I’m Cantona. How big are you? Are you big enough for me?’
I feel sympathy for the working class lad. I’ve always championed about ticket prices and try to equate that to people’s salaries.
It’s great news. The reality of negotiations today is that they take time. But these have always been conducted in a good spirit and we are very pleased with the outcome. We can now look forward to the future.
I understand the intensity of the supporters. I wonder how they could turn up for work on Monday morning after we lost 5-1 to Manchester City.
We are very focused this time and our preparation has been better. We maybe made one or two mistakes last time, but not this time.
Kindness is a universal language regardless of age, nationality or religion.
If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud. They gave me a good start in life, the values that have driven me, and the confidence to believe in myself.
Sometimes you’re not sure about a player. Sometimes you doubt. Sometimes you have to guess. Sometimes you just know.
In any normal season, most of the teams below Chelsea would think they are doing quite well.
Evolution happens. There’s no football team in the world that has stayed together for time ever more.
If we can play like that every week well get some level of consistency.
Ronaldo could play for Millwall, QPR, Doncaster Rovers or anyone and he’d score a hat-trick. I’m not sure Messi could do it. Ronaldo’s got two feet, he’s quick, he’s good in the air and he’s brave, though Messi’s brave too of course. I just think Messi is a Barcelona player.
I’m privileged to have followed Sir Matt because all you have to do is to try and maintain the standards that he set so many years ago.
Players know that they can trust me which is really important. They know that I had the ability to adapt to change, and they have seen that many times over the years. I think these are important parts of being in control of footballers.
I always said to the directors that the minute a player becomes more powerful than the manager of Manchester United, it’s not Manchester United. You have lost control of the whole club. So I always made sure that I was in control. They always knew who the manager was.
I realized I was good at developing young people. Eventually I started to believe in young people. I think when you give a young person an opportunity, he always believes who gave him his first chance. You create a loyalty that lasts a lifetime.
It was time for me to spend more time with my wife. I’m not saying I do spend more time with my wife, because she would throw me out of the house, but we have breakfast together. I never did.
I’m a Pele fan from way back when I was a kid, and then there was always this thing later about Pele and Maradona. I was young and impressionable as a kid but it was always Pele for me.
I think that fear does come into it in some respect in the sense of when I lost my temper I didn’t hide behind a bush on it in respect to the times that I did lose my temper. But you know the quality that I had when I lost my temper, I never, ever brought it back again.
The best have the courage and I say this all the time. The courage to take the ball all the time, the courage to make sure that they are not going to be intimidated by their opponents, and the courage to express themselves at all times and I think that all the great players have got that.