That Eric Cantona flying kick
How an act of physical violence against verbal violence became an iconic football meme.
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was given a red card for violent conduct during the match against Crystal Palace today.
The last United player who was sent off against Palace was one Eric Cantona, 28 years ago.
The reason for his marching orders was a flying kick against a fan who called his mother a "French whore".
That incident has become an iconic football moment that has even been used in management studies(for manager Alex Ferguson’s selectively soft approach towards the Frenchman in the dressing room).
I thought it’ll be interesting to compile a collection of visual tributes, illustrations, and memes that have been spun from King Eric’s infamous moment.
A good 5-minute BBC look-back on the incident also peels back some of the layers of the incident to reveal issues of hooliganism and privilege.
I personally find it interesting that Cantona somehow emerged as a hero after the incident. I wonder whether he’d enjoy the same outcome in the age of social media.