Opinion | King's crown fits Van Persie nicely
Hailed by Alex Ferguson as the complete footballer, Dutchman already has better strike rate than legendary Cantona
In the heart-warming 2009 film about football, Looking For Eric, the hapless, down-at-heel Manchester United supporter asks his idol Eric Cantona what his sweetest moment was playing for the Red Devils.
He reels off a series of guesses, naming nearly all the breathtaking goals scored by the maverick Frenchman. "It must be a goal, Eric!" insists the football-fanatic postman, who, with his life descending into crisis, demands answers from his ghostly alter ego.
Cantona shakes his head and eventually answers. "It was a pass," he reveals, and footage of his outside-of-the-foot chip to Denis Irwin - who then scores against Tottenham during a 1993 clash - reminds us of his prodigious talent.
King Eric has once more been on the lips of many this week after it was declared that Man Utd have finally found a player to match him - Robin van Persie aka RVP.
The comparison began after United boss Alex Ferguson agreed with his rival in the other half of Manchester, Roberto Mancini, who said the free-scoring Dutchman could be the difference in this season's EPL title race.
After watching the "magnificent" RVP take his league tally to 16 goals in the 4-0 New Year's Day demolition of Wigan and so keep intact the seven-point lead, Ferguson said: "We knew we were getting a top player who would make a difference to the team. That's why we went for him. Robin's a completely rounded footballer."