Cantona was born in Marseille, to Albert Cantona, a nurse and a painter, and Eleonore Raurich, a dressmaker. The family home was a cave in one of the hills in the Les Caillols area of Marseille, between the city's 11th and 12th arrondissements, and it was rumoured to have been used as a look-out post for the German Army, towards the end of the Second World War. The site was chosen in the mid-1950s by Cantona's paternal grandmother, Lucienne, whose husband, Joseph, was a stonemason. By the time Cantona was born in 1966, the hillside cave had become little more than a room in the family's house, which was now up to a liveable standard.

Cantona made his first appearance for Manchester United in a friendly match against Benfica in Lisbon to mark Eusebio's 50th birthday, wearing the number 10 shirt. He made his competitive debut as a second-half substitute against Manchester City at Old Trafford on 6 December 1992, wearing the number 12 shirt. Manchester United won 2-1, though Cantona made little impact that day. He had arrived too late to register to play in Manchester United's 1-0 win at Arsenal on 28 November, but was in the crowd at Highbury as his new team secured a vital win.  Manchester United's season had been disappointing up to Cantona's signing. They were falling behind the likes of big spending Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers in the race for the first Premier League title, as well as surprise challengers including Norwich City and Queen's Park Rangers. Goalscoring had been a problem since the halfway point of the previous season - when it had cost them the league title as they suffered defeats or were held to draws at the hands of teams they had been expected to beat.  Alex Ferguson had first tried to sign Alan Shearer from Southampton during the 1992 close season, but lost out to Blackburn Rovers. He then spent PS1 million on Dion Dublin, who suffered a broken leg a few games into the season and was out of action for six months. A PS3 million bid for Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst was turned down, and by 7 November, Manchester United were 10th in the Premier League.  However, Cantona quickly settled into the team, slotting in alongside Mark Hughes, while Brian McClair was switched to midfield. Cantona contributed greatly to a quick upturn in the team's fortunes, not only scoring goals but also creating chances for the other players. His first Manchester United goal came in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 19 December 1992, and his second came on Boxing Day in a 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough where they claimed a point after being 3-0 down at half time. However, controversy was never far away, and on his return to Elland Road to play Leeds a few weeks later, he spat at a fan and was fined PS1,000 by the FA. Manchester United only lost twice in the league after Cantona's arrival, and finished the season as champions for the first time in 26 years.  In Cantona's first season at Old Trafford, Manchester United won the inaugural Premier League by 10 points - winning the top division title for the first time since 1967. In doing so, he became the first player to win consecutive English top division titles with different clubs. He had won a domestic league title with different clubs for three successive seasons, having helped Marseille win the French league title in 1991.

Were there any other important events that season?
he spat at a fan and was fined PS1,000 by the FA.