I couldn't believe what Eric Cantona did the night before he retired

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has shared a surprising revelation about Eric Cantona's retirement.

Despite partying with Cantona until 4am on the eve of his retirement, Solskjaer and his teammates were completely unaware that the Frenchman was just hours away from hanging up his boots. The Red Devils had just clinched the Premier League title in the 1996/97 season and were celebrating with an end-of-season party.

The players and their partners gathered at a restaurant, staying up late into the night to bid farewell before reconvening weeks later for pre-season training. Cantona was part of the festivities that night, but his actions the following day sent shockwaves through the football world.

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Solskjaer, who had just wrapped up his debut season at Old Trafford, was hoping for more pitch time with Cantona. However, at only 30 years old, Cantona announced his retirement.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Solskjaer recalled the moment he found out about Cantona's decision: "Eric and I plus Jordi Cruyff became friends. We had a party at the end of my first season. We went to a restaurant, partied hard and said goodbye with our wives and girlfriends. The next day, we went to London and heard on the radio that Eric Cantona had retired.

"We'd only said goodbye at 4am that day, that was what Eric was like. He was about to shock football and he didn't say a word to his mates the night before. It was sad for us all, but I enjoyed one year playing with one of the best team-mates ever."

Reflecting on his time at Manchester United,