Eric Cantona eight-month suspension. Following his retirement from football in 1997, he took up a career in cinema and had a role in the 1998 film "Elizabeth", starring Cate Blanchett, the 2008 film "French Film", and the 2009 film "Looking for Eric". In 2010, he debuted as a stage actor in "Face au Paradis", a French play directed by his wife, Rachida Brakni. Cantona also took an interest in the sport of beach soccer, and as player-manager of the French national team, he won the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Known for his charismatic – and outspoken – persona, Cantona was
BET Award for Sportsman of the Year BET Award for Sportsman of the Year The BET Award for Sportsman of the Year is given to the best and most successful male athlete of the previous year. The award was originally titled Best Male Athlete, but was later changed to its current title in 2010. LeBron James holds the record for most wins in this category with six. Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold. Some of the nominations have brought up some controversy. Reggie Bush was nominated for the award twice, in 2007 and 2009, despite putting up average numbers for a player at his position