Quote · The Rest Is Football
Argentina survive huge scare against Cape Verde as Messi makes it 8 in a row
Where this was said
Eccleston on Cantona, Dennis Law and Working with Footballing Icons
At 24:40 · chapter starts 23:55
The conversation takes a charming detour as Gary Lineker asks Christopher Eccleston about his experience working with footballers on screen. Eccleston recalls being cast alongside Éric Cantona in Elizabeth (1998), Cantona's first English-language film [1] — Christopher Eccleston "Christopher Eccleston, a lifelong Manchester United fan, appeared in Elizabeth alongside Éric Cantona — and was so in awe of his idol that …" 23:54 . The camera operator — a Tottenham fan — told Eccleston that Cantona was absolutely terrified on set, pacing around muttering his lines. Eccleston, a lifelong Manchester United season ticket holder who had idolised Cantona for 30 years, was so awestruck he simply couldn't approach him — while Richard Attenborough chatted away to the footballer freely. Eccleston laughs that everyone ribbed him for his paralysis. He also recalls a sharper moment with Dennis Law on a low-budget production: Law delivered a quick-fire put-down about his own nose ('I haven't got a big nose, I've got a small face') that clearly left Eccleston delighted. The segment ends with Eccleston raising an interest in the psychology of introverted sportspeople — those who barely speak in a dressing room but transform on a pitch.
Christopher Eccleston revealed that Éric Cantona's first English-language film was Elizabeth (1998), starring Cate Blanchett, in which Eccleston also appeared.
Micah Richards, Gary Lineker and Joe Cole agree: some of football's most aggressive players — Gerrard, Hughes, Scholes — were barely recognisable off the pitch. Gerrard moved in silence and aura, but his burning stare during a match could set the tone for an entire team.
