Manchester United legend Eric Cantona left Micah Richards, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer in stitches by revealing his phone before silencing the trio with his eye-opening explanation.
A beloved figure at Old Trafford, Eric Cantona called it time on his playing career in 1997 after he announced his shock – and sudden – retirement at the age of 30.
The larger-than-life Manchester United legend had a seminal impact at the Red Devils during the 1990s, with Cantona creating a long-lasting legacy at the club.
Cantona lifted four Premier League titles and two FA Cups during a legendary spell at United after his £1m move from Leeds United in 1992.
Legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson held the 58-year-old Frenchman in high regard after his transformative impact at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired from management in 2013, admitted that Cantona was one of the four world-class players he managed during his time at United.
Cantona reveals his ‘dinosaur’ phone
Following his prolific spell at Manchester United, Eric Cantona channelled his passion into other avenues like music and acting.
One of United’s legendary No 7s, the former France international has been known for his eccentric behaviour, including during his famous ‘seagulls speech’ in 1995.
Cantona appeared on The Rest Is Football podcast and the United legend opened up about his life under Sir Alex Ferguson and his post-playing career.
Alan Shearer asked Cantona: “How would you handle the players of today in terms of their attitudes and you mentioned before social media and the games and all that. [How] would you handle that?”
Cantona candidly opened up about his children before the United legend admitted that he does not let them have a smartphone.
The former United star then revealed an ‘old-school’ phone from his pocket, which Cantona revealed that both he and his kids see as a “dinosaur” device.
Micah Richards, Gary Lineker and Shearer all burst into laughter at the phone reveal, with Richards hilariously asking if Cantona’s phone was the iconic Nokia 3310.
“I don’t want even to think about it,” Cantona said in response to Shearer’s question.
“No, no, no, they do whatever… I have a problem with my kids, you know. My son is 14 years old [and] my daughter — I got two older ones but them, they are now adults.
“The other one’s 14 years old, my son, 10 years old my daughter, they don’t have a phone. Me, this is my phone old. This is the dinosaur; the dinosaur we call it. I call it the dinosaur.”
Richards then asked: “Is that a Nokia 3310 it looks like?”
Cantona on why his kids don’t own a phone
Despite laughing at Cantona’s phone, Richards, Lineker and Shearer all sat quietly as the United legend delivered a passionate rant on the impact of handheld devices.
The Frenchman claimed that he wanted his children to “observe the world” and use their creative minds to draw, paint or write poetry instead of looking at a phone.
“So… but they can observe the world, my kids,’ Cantona continued.
“You know they can observe the world, they can think, they can draw, they can paint, they can write poetry, they don’t spend hours and hours and hours on the phone, you know.
“You see kids that are two years old in airports and the parents think they are geniuses because they can use that [a phone].
“No, it was created [for] everybody to use it and the kids are watching that and then the brains have a lot of problems to speak, read and everything.
“But everything and everybody thinks it’s normal. It’s a normal life. Yeah, okay, modern life.”