Eric Cantona Takes Aim at Sir Jim Ratcliffe: The Battle for Manchester United’s Soul

Eric Cantona has never been one to stay quiet, and once again, the Manchester United legend has ignited debate this time pointing his criticism directly at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose leadership continues to divide fans across Old Trafford.

Cantona, who remains an icon for the club’s supporters and a symbol of the fearless winning spirit of the 1990s, publicly expressed his frustration with the new regime, accusing Ratcliffe and the current board of tearing apart the club’s identity and “destroying” the legacy built under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The comments, delivered during his one-man stage tour, hit harder than the average pundit remark because they come from someone who lived the glory years from inside the dressing room—and, crucially, someone who says he tried to help.

Earlier this year, Cantona revealed that he personally reached out to Ratcliffe offering to contribute his ideas and energy to rebuilding Manchester United—only to be ignored.

“I thought that for two or three years I could put everything aside and try to give back to this club, which has given everything to me,” Cantona said. “But he didn’t seem interested.”

The Frenchman explained that after being dismissed so easily, he now feels no remorse for stepping back.

“I did what I had to do, so I don’t feel guilty anymore. I tried my best,” he added.

Cantona claims that United’s modern leadership has abandoned the identity and football philosophy that once defined the club. Instead of protecting Ferguson’s culture of attacking creativity and unity, he argues, the ownership has discarded it.

“Sir Alex created a style of beautiful attacking football which the new owners should have used. Instead, they destroyed it,” he said.

This is not the first time Cantona has criticized Ratcliffe’s direction. He previously condemned layoffs at the club and accused the ownership of prioritizing business decisions over football values, saying the club had “sold its soul.”

The message is clear: Cantona believes Manchester United is being run by people who view football through spreadsheets rather than passion—and that the consequences are visible everywhere.

What seems to anger Cantona most is not simply the performance on the field, but what he sees as a cultural collapse.

Among his strongest criticisms is the reported decision to end Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial agreement, a symbolic blow to United tradition. Cantona described the move as proof that the new leadership does not respect the history that made the club what it is.