Manchester United icon and legend Eric Cantona resides nowadays secretly in İstanbul, the surly superstar was liaising in Istanbul for his documentary on Fenerbahce Galatasaray derby since 3 weeks.

Istanbul – NationalTurk – For anyone who saw and recognized football legend Eric Cantona in Istanbul it was an opportunity many Turkish football fans will be furious and jealous to have missed out on. The occasion for Cantona’s visit tı Turkey, who loves football extremely was of course football. To be more precise, the deep-rooted rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe football clubs is the topic of Eric Cantona’s documentary. Fenerbahce and Galatasaray will face eachother on 7th December for another epic Turkish El Clasico.

Eric Cantona, working in collaboration with the French television Canal+, was researching the dynamics of Turkey’s fiercest football rivalry and derby game for a documentary. Istanbul was the third port of call for the undercover filming crew, the documentary makers having marked the top two derby cities to be Manchester and Milan.

Eric Cantona documents on Turkish El Clasico Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray

With the episodes in the documentary series narrated by Eric Cantona himself, the secrets of İstanbul’s football rivalry will be broadcast in the eighth episode of the series, with the ninth to be filmed in Rio. The crew will not be making their trip to Brazil immediately, however, as only two episodes are completed each year.

During their three-week stay in İstanbul, the documentary crew and Eric Cantona explored the ancient city in depth and spoke to historians, footballers both old and new, artists and managers. They attended football matches of Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce top three teams in Turkey, soaking in the football atmasphere and talking to fans and to try to understand the significance of the Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahçe rivalry in Turkey from an social and sports point of view.

Eric Cantona stumbled upon world-renown veteran Turkish photographer Ara Güler during the course of his outings. Passing by the Ara Güler restaurant in Taksim, the heart of Istanbul, the football legend was entranced by Güler’s paintings displayed right outside. Ironically, the cafe/restaurant lies just next to Galatasaray Lycee, where the roots of Galatasaray Sports Club lie. Venturing in, Cantona spotted the veteran photographer at a table and promptly went to sit with him. The two engaged in conversation in French over a cup of tea, and Eric Cantona noted he had watched a documentary about Ara Güler two years ago and was a big fan of his work since then.