Mircea Crișan, actor, cabaretist, regizor și umorist, celebru în România anilor 1950-1960

Mircea Crișan (n. Mauriciu Kraus la 8 august 1924, CFR – d. 22 noiembrie 2013, Düsseldorf, Germania) a fost un actor, cabaretist, regizor și umorist, celebru în România anilor 1950-1960 și în Germania restul vieții.

Evreu^[3] născut în România (într-un vagon de tren care traversa Maramureșul) și declarat la oficiul stării civile la 9 august^[4]).
Când era copil, mergea în turneu cu părinții (angajați la un parc de distracții ambulant).^[5]
La 19 ani s-a angajat ca vânzător de mezeluri și, tot pe-atunci, a debutat mai mult figurant decât ca actor, la Teatrul Barașeum, actualmente Teatrul Evreiesc de Stat, în spectacolul Lozul cel mare de Sholem Aleichem. A studiat apoi la Conservatorul de Artă Dramatică, clasa Maria Filotti (1944-1946).
După absolvire a jucat la Teatrul Armatei, la Teatrul Savoy, la Teatrul de Estradă, în spectacole de varietăți alături de actorii Nicolae Stroe, Gogu Trestian, Ion Antonescu-Cărăbuș, Horia Căciulescu, Zizi Șerban, Elena Burmaz, Tanți Căpățână, Puiu Călinescu. Multe din textele din perioada din România au fost compuse în colaborare cu Alexandru Mandi.
Prin Decretul nr. 514 din 18 august 1964 al Consiliului de Stat al Republicii Populare Romîne, actorului Mircea Crișan i s-a acordat titlul de Artist Emerit al Republicii Populare Romîne „pentru merite deosebite în activitatea desfășurată în domeniul teatrului, muzicii, artelor plastice și cinematografiei”.^[6]
În 1968, cu ocazia unui turneu la Paris la teatrul Olympia, a rămas în Occident^[7] și s-a stabilit ulterior în Germania, unde a început să-și scrie numele Mircea Krishan^[8]


În Germania a colaborat, sub acest nume, cu mulți artiști de scenă cunoscuți, între care Rudi Carell și Gisela Schlüter.
Mircea Crișan și-a petrecut ultimii ani de viață internat într-un azil pentru vârstnici din Düsseldorf, suferind de boala Alzheimer. A fost înmormântat în cimitirul evreiesc din Düsseldorf.

Tony Adams, an English football manager and former Arsenal player. With Arsenal, he won four top flight division titles, uniquely captaining a title-winning team in three different decades, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and three FA Community Shields

Tony Alexander Adams, MBE (born 10 October 1966) is an English football manager and former Arsenal player.
Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal.^[1] He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans ^[2] and was included in the Football League 100 Legends. With Arsenal, he won four top flight division titles, uniquely captaining a title-winning team in three different decades, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and three FA Community Shields. A statue honouring Adams was unveiled at Emirates stadium on 9 December 2011, along with statues of Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman.

When his playing career finished Adams went into football management, spending periods in charge of Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Azerbaijan side Gabala.

Adams made his debut for England against Spain in 1987, and played in Euro 88, scoring one of England's two goals. He was the first player to represent England who had been born after the 1966 World Cup win. After a highly promising start to his international career, Adams suffered a series of setbacks during the early 1990s. He was surprisingly left out of the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad by manager Bobby Robson, and missed Euro 92 due to injury. However, he still maintained a regular place in defence, and after the retirement of Gary Lineker in 1992, Adams unofficially shared the captaincy of England with David Platt, though Adams became England captain outright before Euro 96, as Platt's place in the side became less secure. England reached the semi-finals of Euro 96, before losing on penalties to Germany.
When England manager Glenn Hoddle took the Captain's armband from Adams and gave it to Alan Shearer it was a bitter pill for Adams to swallow. Speaking at a fans' forum in 2008 Adams remarked "I have some resentment over the way Glenn Hoddle gave the captaincy to Alan Shearer instead of me but I can let that go. I reacted positively. I disagreed with him [Hoddle] and he thought Alan could get more penalties being a centre forward. People know my reaction to that".
Adams continued to play for the national side, however and he finally appeared in a World Cup finals in 1998. His international swansong was England's largely unsuccessful Euro 2000 campaign. With Shearer retiring from international football after the tournament, Adams regained the captaincy. However, within months, England lost a World Cup qualifier to Germany in October 2000, the match being the last to be staged at Wembley Stadium before the stadium was torn down for rebuilding. That match was Adams's 60th Wembley appearance, a record. With Sven-Göran Eriksson eventually taking the helm and under increasing pressure for his place from the emerging and improving Rio Ferdinand, Adams retired from international football before Eriksson picked his first squad. He was the last England player to score at the old Wembley Stadium when he scored England's second goal in a 2–0 friendly win over Ukraine on 31 May 2000. This was also his first goal since he scored in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988, thus making the record for the longest gap between goals for England.

Serena Williams, an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis. he became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002, and regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013, becoming the oldest world no. 1 player in WTA's history

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. She became the World N She is the only female player to have won over $60 million in prize money, and is the reigning Australian Open, US Open, WTA Tour Championships and Olympic ladies singles champion.
o. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002, and regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013, becoming the oldest world no. 1 player in WTA's history. Williams is also regarded by some experts and former tennis players to be the greatest female tennis player in history.
Frequently hailed as the Queen of the Court by the general media, Williams holds the most major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined amongst active players, male or female. Her record of 34 Grand Slam titles puts her seventh on the all-time list: 19 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously (2002–03), and the fifth woman ever to do so. She is also the most recent player together with her sister Venus Williams to have held all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles simultaneously (2009–10). Her total of 19 Grand Slam singles titles is tied for third on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody behind Margaret Court (24 titles) and Steffi Graf (22 titles), and second in the Open Era, behind only Graf. She has won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus and the pair are unbeaten in Grand Slam finals. Serena Williams is also a five-time winner of the WTA Tour Championships. The arrival of Venus and Serena Williams has been credited with launching a new era of power in women's tennis. Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in women's singles and three in women's doubles, an all-time record shared with her sister Venus.

Marcel Răducanu, a Romanian former footballer who played for Steaua Bucureşti, Borussia Dortmund, FC Zürich and the Romanian national team

Marcel Răducanu (born 21 October 1954 in Bucharest) is a Romanian former footballer who played for Steaua Bucureşti, Borussia Dortmund, FC Zürich and the Romanian national team.
Between 1976 and 1981, he played 21 games for Romanian national team, during which he scored three goals.^[1] He played nearly 80 matches scoring many goals for Romania's Under-16, U-18, national youth sides, respectively for the U-21 and U-23, being the team's best all-around player and also made two appearances for the Olympic team.
In 1980, he was voted as the best Romanian football player.
After playing for Steaua Bucureşti in the '70s, when he won two championships and also two Romanian Cups, Răducanu defected following a match in Dortmund, West Germany in 1981.^[2] In his native Romania this act was considered a desertion, as he was a Captain in the Romanian army. Therefore he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison in his absence.^[2]
Once in Germany he signed with both Hannover 96 and Borussia Dortmund clubs, and as a result was suspended by UEFA for one year.^[3] In order to have his services, Borussia Dortmund paid half a million deutschmarks to the Hannover club, and Răducanu made his debut in Bundesliga in 1982. Between 1982 and 1988, he played a total of 163 games in the German federal league and scored 31 goals.^[4] He also spent time in Switzerland at FC Zürich where he played until his retirement.^[5]
Răducanu retired from football in 1990. Since 1994, he has run a football school in Dortmund. Mario Götze trained at his academy whe he was 10 years old.

Thomas Muster, a former World No. 1 tennis player from Austria. Muster is one of only three players to win Masters titles on three different surfaces (clay, carpet, and hard court)

Thomas Muster (born 2 October 1967 in Leibnitz, Styria, Austria) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him seventh on the all-time list. Muster is one of only three players to win Masters titles on three different surfaces (clay, carpet, and hard court).
When Muster was on the ATP Tour in the Twentieth Century, he wore Lotto clothing. From 1986 to 1993, Muster played with the Head Prestige Pro 600 racquet. In the summer of 1993, Muster switched for a few months to playing with the Head Prestige 600 racquet. In 1994 and 1995, Muster played with the Head Pro Tour 630 racquet. At the start of 1996, Muster switched to using a Kneissl racquet, which was closely modelled on his old Pro Tour 630. At the start of 1997, Muster switched his racquet again to the white Kneissl Tom's Reach Machine racquet, which had a longer handle and a 28 inch frame. In 1998, Muster used his Kneissl Tom's Reach Machine racquet on hardcourt, grass and carpet, but went back to his old 1996 Kneissl racquet on clay. When Muster played on the ATP Champions Tour, he used the Kneissl Tom's Reach Machine racquet.
When Muster came back to the ATP Tour in 2010, he used the Head Pro Tour 630 racquet, then switched to the Babolat AeroPro Drive GT racquet, and then went back to the Head Pro Tour 630 racquet again before playing his last matches in late 2011. Muster always wore Adidas clothing in his matches in 2010 and 2011.

Gabriel Batistuta, nicknamed Batigol as well as El Ángel Gabriel, a retired professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and is the eleventh top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches. He is Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer, with 56 goals in 78 matches

Gabriel Omar Batistuta (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡaˈβɾjel ˈomaɾ βatisˈtuta]; born 1 February 1969), nicknamed Batigol as well as El Ángel Gabriel [el ˌaŋxel ɣaˈβɾjel] (Spanish for Angel Gabriel), is a retired professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy,  and is the eleventh top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches.
At international level, Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer, with 56 goals in 78 matches, and he played at three World Cups. In 1999, Batistuta was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards.In 2004 he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. A powerful player with an all-round game, clinical finishing, as well as accurate heading and free-kick taking abilities, he is known as one of the most complete strikers of his generation. Diego Maradona stated that Batistuta is the best striker he has ever seen play the game.
he is
When his club Fiorentina was relegated to Serie B in 1993, Batistuta stayed with the club and helped it return to the top-flight league a year later. A popular sporting figure in Florence, the Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996, in recognition of his performances for Fiorentina. He never won the Italian league with Fiorentina, but when he moved to Roma in 2000, he finally won the Serie A title to crown his career in Italy.He played his last season in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.

Fabio Cannavaro, an Italian football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. He is considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" ("The Berlin Wall"). Won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006 which made him the only defender to win the award in a decade

Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfabjo kannaˈvaro]; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. He is considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" ("The Berlin Wall") by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy. He started his career at Napoli, before spending seven years at Parma, with whom he won two Coppa Italia and the 1999 UEFA Cup. After spells at Internazionale and Juventus, he transferred along with manager Fabio Capello from Juventus to Real Madrid, with whom he won consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. After returning to Juventus for one season in 2009–10, he joined Al-Ahli in Dubai, where he retired from football in 2011 after an injury-troubled season. After his retirement, he became a coaching staff of Al-Ahli, notably as global ambassador and technical director from 2011 to 2013 and assistant coach from 2013 to 2014. In November 2014, he was appointed as head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande.
Cannavaro has also achieved success with the Italian national team. He was part of the Italy team that won consecutive Under-21 European Championships in 1994 and 1996. After earning his first senior cap in 1997, he eventually became captain. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and in 2009 overtook Paolo Maldini as the most capped player in the country's history. He retired from international football on 25 June 2010 following Italy's failure to qualify for the knock-out stages of the 2010 World Cup, having amassed 136 caps and scored two goals for the senior national team.^[3]
He was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006 which made him the only defender to win the award in a decade and only the third of all time after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer, both of Germany.^[4][5] In 2007 he was in the six man shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.^[6] His younger brother Paolo is also a professional footballer, playing for Italian side Sassuolo.

Lothar Matthäus, a German football manager and former player. After captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he was named European Footballer of the Year. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award

Lothar Herbert Matthäus is a German football manager and former player. After captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he was named European Footballer of the Year. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award.
He played in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) more than any other outfield player, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games). He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 UEFA European Football Championships. In 1999, aged 38, he was again voted German Footballer of the Year, having previously won the award in 1990.
Matthäus is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 for West Germany) in 20 years, and 23 goals. Matthäus is a member of the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé. Diego Maradona said of Matthäus, "he is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him", in his book Yo soy el Diego (I am the Diego).
A versatile and complete player, Matthäus was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense, well-timed tackling, as well as powerful shooting. During his career, he usually played as a box-to-box midfielder, although late in his career he played as a sweeper.

Luis Figo, a Portuguese retired footballer that won Ballon d'Or in 2000, FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001, and in 2004 was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players

Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiʃ ˈfiɣu]; born 4 November 1972), is a Portuguese retired footballer. He played as a winger for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale before retiring on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national football team.
Renowned for his creativity and having the ability to get past defenders, Figo is regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation.He made 106 assists in La Liga, the second most in La Liga history, behind Lionel Messi. He won the 2000 Ballon d'Or, 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. His controversial 2000 transfer from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid set a world record fee of £37 million (€62 million).
He had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, including the Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups.
On 28 January 2015, Figo announced his intention to run against Sepp Blatter for the position of FIFA President.

Matthias Sammer, a retired German footballer and coach who is now working as sporting director of FC Bayern Munich. He was named German Footballer of the Year in both 1995 and 1996 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1996, making him the first defender to win the Ballon d'Or since Franz Beckenbauer in 1972

Matthias Sammer is a retired German footballer and coach who is now working as sporting director of FC Bayern Munich. He played as a defensive midfielder, and later in his career as a sweeper.
With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer won the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup in 1995, the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, and European Footballer of the Year in 1996, and the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup in 1997. With Germany as a player, Sammer won the UEFA Euro 1996. Sammer retired with 74 total caps, 23 for East Germany and 51 for the unified side.
With Borussia Dortmund as a manager, Sammer won the Bundesliga in 2002.
In the winter break of the 1992–93 season, Sammer signed for Borussia Dortmund. He made 17 Bundesliga appearances in the second half of the season, scoring ten times.
The following season, Sammer was moved from midfield into the libero position by Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. This move proved to be successful as Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 1994–95 and 1995–96, followed by the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, with Sammer lifting the European Cup as captain after beating Juventus 3–1 in the final at Munich's Olympiastadion.
Soon after winning the Champions League, Sammer's career was cut short by injury. He made only three further Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund before suffering a serious knee injury which he failed to recover from and retired in 1998.
In addition to the two Bundesliga titles and one Champions League, Sammer also led Dortmund to two DFB-Supercups, in 1995 and 1996. Sammer himself was named German Footballer of the Year in both 1995 and 1996 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1996, making him the first defender to win the Ballon d'Or since Franz Beckenbauer in 1972.
On 19 December 1990, Sammer debuted for the newly formed unified Germany national football team, which was mostly made up of the West Germany team that had won the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The match was played at his home stadium in Stuttgart and Germany ran out 4–0 winners against Switzerland.
Sammer was a member of the German squad for UEFA Euro 1992, where the team was beaten in the final by Denmark. He was also selected for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, as Germany was surprisingly knocked out by the underdog Bulgaria at the quarter final stage.
In UEFA Euro 1996, Sammer played in the libero role he had been converted to at Borussia Dortmund. He scored the opening goal in Germany's second group match against Russia and the winning goal against Croatia in the quarter-final. After Germany defeated the Czech Republic in the final, Sammer was named Player of the Tournament.
On 7 June 1997, Sammer played his final match for Germany in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in Kyiv.

Kaká, a Brazilian professional footballer that won Ballon d'Or in 2007. Kaká was named in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2008 and 2009. Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, commonly known as Kaká  or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for American club Orlando City in Major League Soccer.
Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis, and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of 15 that he chose to focus on football.
In 2003 he joined Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won a Serie A title and the UEFA Champions League, and in 2007 he received the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or awards. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of €65 million. At the time, this was the second highest transfer fee (in euros) ever, behind only the €75 million fee for Zinedine Zidane. After four seasons in Spain, he returned to Milan in 2013. He made his debut for the Brazil national team in 2002, and was selected for their victorious World Cup squad that year, as well as the 2006 and 2010 tournaments.
In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme. For his contributions on and off the pitch, Kaká was named in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2008 and 2009. Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.

Eric Cantona, a French actor and former international footballer for the French national team. Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Eric", and was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside United magazine

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966) is a French actor and former international footballer for the French national team. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his career at Manchester United where he won four Premier League titles in five years and two League and FA Cup Doubles.
Cantona is often regarded as having played a key role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing force in the 1990s and he enjoys iconic status at the club. He wore the number 7 shirt at Manchester United with his trademark upturned collar. Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Eric", and was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. Set against his achievements in football was a poor discipli
nary record for much of his career, including a 1995 conviction for a 'kung-fu' assault on a fan, and at a press conference following his initial conviction Cantona gave his famous and cryptic "seagulls" statement. His disciplinary record, however, was much improved after he returned from the eight-month suspension right up to his retirement as a player two years later.
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 débuted as a stage actor in Face au Paradis, a French play directed by his wife, Rachida Brakni.
An inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002, the museum states: "The enigmatic Frenchman was one of the Premier League's most talented, controversial players". On 19 January 2011, Cantona joined the revived New York Cosmos as Director of Soccer. 

French national team

Cantona was given his full international début against West Germany in August 1987 by national team manager Henri Michel. In September 1988, angered after being dropped from the national team, Cantona referred to Michel as a "bag of shit" in a post-match TV interview and was indefinitely banned from all international matches. However, Michel was sacked shortly after that having failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup.
The new coach was Michel Platini and one of his first acts was to recall Cantona. Platini stated that whilst he was coach, Cantona would be selected for France as long as he was playing competitive top-class football; it was Platini who had initiated Cantona's move to England to restart his career. France qualified for Euro 1992 held in Sweden, but failed to win a single game despite the striking partnership of Cantona and Jean-Pierre Papin. Platini resigned after the finals to be replaced by Gérard Houllier.
Under Houllier, France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. after losing the final game 2–1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would have sufficed. Houllier resigned and Aimé Jacquet took over.
Jacquet began to rebuild the national team in preparation for Euro 96 and appointed Cantona as captain. Cantona remained captain until the Selhurst Park incident in January 1995. The suspension which resulted from this incident also prevented him from playing in international matches.
By the time Cantona's suspension had been completed, he had lost his role as the team's playmaker to Zinédine Zidane, as Jacquet had revamped the squad with some new players. Cantona, Papin and David Ginola lost their places in the squad and were never selected for the French team again, thus missing Euro 96. Though there was media criticism about Cantona's omission, as he was playing his best football in the Premier League, Jacquet stated that the team had done well without Cantona, and that he wanted to keep faith with the players who had taken them so far.The decision was vindicated as Les Bleus subsequently won the World Cup in 1998.
To this day, Cantona still harbours resentment for the people at the head of his national team but also admiration for his adopted football country; at Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he supported England and not France.