Eric Cantona’s remark about the “seagulls [that] follow the trawler” is one of the most famous quotes in English football history. But, er, what does it mean?
Cantona’s quip came at a 1995 press conference after an appeal hearing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court following his kung-fu kick on Matthew Simmons during a Manchester United match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Asked to make a comment in front of a room packed with journalists, the Frenchman merely responded:
“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”
It was a remarkable moment: an unclear, quasi-philosophical epigram that set tongues wagging. Even as he spoke, there was palpable confusion: in the exaggerated mid-sentence pause, during which he took a dramatic sip of water, one hack can even be heard blurting out a confused "Seagulls?"
So, just what on earth was he on about?
What does Cantona's "seagull" quote mean?
Cantona himself claimed the quote doesn’t mean anything. Speaking years later on the Jonathan Ross Show, he seemed amuse at those that tried to “analyse” what he said.
“It means nothing,” he said. “I put a mirror in front of the journalists. Afterwards, people tried to analyse the words.”
But saying he wanted to put a mirror in front of the journalists does suggest it might mean something. Indeed, a fairly simple explanation would be that it refers to the press interest in him, and the pressure for him to give them something to report on. The trawler is him, the seagulls are the press, and the sardines are quotes from him about the case.
That would make sense with the story behind the quote, too.
In 2012, it was revealed that the quip was not the off-the-cuff remark that many had assumed – Cantona had written it down on a piece of paper beforehand.
“The whole case had been so big I felt Eric had to say something,' according to Maurice Watkins, at the time a United director and their legal advisor.
“We started to draft a speech on a piece of paper and he asked what the boat was that catches fish. Then he asked what the birds were that fly over the sea.
More Eric Cantona stories
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We have pieces on why Leeds sold Eric Cantona to Manchester United, the making of Eric Cantona (Leeds/Manchester United, 1992/93) and the 7 most iconic quotes from the man himself – as well as a special piece: Dominant, volatile and hijacked by cliché: why we still love Eric Cantona.
