Embracing the Maverick

Do you know what a maverick is? Let me tell you.

The old school meaning is a cow that wanders off on its own, however, the understanding of the word has changed over time; much the same as cute, fantastic, gay and too many others to mention.

Maverick these days still refers to going it alone, but it’s more to do with being a little unorthodox. It’s often thought of as a bad thing, though there’s actually a lot of benefit to having the maverick on board and in the team: if you are able to open your eyes and see.

In footballing terms, the one name that springs to mind is Eric Cantona, the French football genius who not only turned Manchester United into the team that won 13 of the first 25 Premiership titles (4 in 5 years with United, 6 in seven years in total), but also is the single biggest reason the Premiership is what it is today.

Cantina was allegedly “the man who couldn’t be managed”, and while the French national team, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United benefited briefly from his flair, they ultimately lost out due to not allowing his natural talent to flourish.

The man who brought the best out of Cantona was Sir Alex Ferguson: himself something of a maverick (as well as being the most successful British football manager to have lived), and that was because he knew that when you have someone like Cantona on the team, you shape the team around the maverick rather than trying to tame the man (or woman) to play by the rules you set for others. Sometimes there is the one soul who can bring the best out of the rest by allowing them to influence everyone around them, and while there may be a few disgruntled team members who don’t like it, it’s usually because they have less to offer and don’t see the benefit the the flair player brings to the team.

The maverick often sees things others do not see. They are two or three steps ahead of the game, and while they try new tricks that don’t always come off, they usually take the team to new heights, bring changes that reshape the team, raise the game and make leaders out of everyone around them by setting examples of achievement that were not previously there, and seldom continue without the star player being there.

Sir Alex knew he had someone special in Cantona, and not only did he treat him differently, he also asked him for advice on many occasions, understanding there are different perspectives to be had.

The managers who lost out on Cantona also deprived their teams (and fans) of success. Eric won the French League at Marseille in '90-'91, Leeds United '91-'92, Manchester United '92-'93, '93-'94, was banned for '94-'95, and won two more in '95-'96 and '96-'97 as well as two FA Cups) before retiring from the game. The reason United didn’t win the '94-'95 title – United lost it by a point to Blackburn – was because Eric (top scorer that season) was banned for the final 6 games of that season, which United drew.

Eric was banned for standing up to racism during a match where he was kicked from pillar to post by the opposition and the referee took no action. He was sent off for retaliating to a vicious foul on him, and as he walked from the pitch he launched into a flying kick after a racist fan gave him dog’s abuse. Today he might be applauded for doing so, but it was not so back then. All Eric Cantona wanted was what was fair, and when he didn’t get fairness, he acted as a maverick might, and found his own justice.

The point here is not about justice, as that is still a rare commodity these days, but it is about allowing the flair to flourish, and accept that while there may be the odd hiccup here and there, the end result is usually a 5 star performance. We can’t all be the Eric Cantona of the team, but we can learn from those like him. We must never settle for mediocrity. We must never try to dull the fire of the flair in the team that warms everyone else up. If you do, you’ll miss it when it goes out. The chances are it won’t come back either. Embrace the maverick, and learn.