Having left ASSE after moving up to Ligue 1 last summer, Maxence Rivera joined Dunkirk (2nd in Ligue 2), and is shining as much as his club this season (3 goals and 1 penalty caused). Exclusively for But! Football Club, he talks about his years in Saint-Etienne, the complicated start to the Greens' season in L1, but also his current form and his future.
Aim! : Hello Maxence, first of all, what are your thoughts on last season with ASSE?
Maxence Rivera: It was a mixed season, I came back from loan and had a good season at Le Puy. When I came back, coach Batlles told me that he wasn't sure about my playing time. I looked at the squad and I saw that I could have made more of my breakthrough. I still played a few matches (9 with Batlles in 2023-2024) before the arrival of Olivier Dall'Oglio, and there were also recruits in winter. When I started playing at the beginning it was good, I had fun, but when you play less, you obviously want to play even more. The coach told me I was going to play with the reserves, but I wasn't really apart of the group because I was training with them. He didn't exclude me but made me understand that I was on the verge of playing with the pros. Afterwards, we ended up moving up, I was the 19th man in Metz, but it's always nice to have a climb in your list of achievements.
Did you take it badly that you had less playing time than the others?
Not necessarily because when Olivier Dall'Oglio arrived (December 2023), we did not have the expected results (Sainté was 8th when he arrived). He didn't really know me, and recruits arrived, and I don't think it was his fault. In the end, it was successful until the end of the season. Frankly, I retain the positive even in the second part of the season (5 games under Dall'Oglio).
How did you experience the emotions of moving up to Ligue 1?
It's a source of pride, I was trained at ASSE, so that always means something. These are just good memories. The communion with the supporters, at the stadium and at the airport, was incredible. I hope I experience another climb this season.
You were part of the squad for the descent in 2022, then the climb in 2024, it's quite paradoxical!
It's special because we think we're going to touch the Holy Grail by having playing time in Ligue 1, but not that much in the end (4 minutes played in 2021-2022). Then we see that we are going down so we say to ourselves that it hurts the club and everyone in the city, the supporters… Then when two years later we go back up, everyone is happy. The communion with the supporters was incredible, you couldn't dream of better in a club like that.
What was the atmosphere in the locker room last season?
I found the atmosphere quite good. We didn't have the expected results but we worked, no one ever cheated, we worked, we kept our mouths shut, and then we knew it was going to pay off. Then there was the arrival of Olivier Dall'Oglio, who put a lot of things in place. In the end, we managed to move up so it was great with a coach like that too.
What do you think of Olivier Dall'Oglio, but also of Laurent Batlles, two of your former coaches at ASSE?
These are two coaches who communicate with the players, so I think that is already an important point. I only have positive things to say about these coaches, I have nothing to say about their management.
Are you still following the ASSE results?
Of course, I watch most of the matches when I can, it's my training club so I'll never forget that.
How do you see the start of the Saint-Etienne season?
It's a bit of a mixed start to the season, because there are results at home, a little less away. The sauce needs to take a little longer. I think the club knew that coming back was going to be difficult, that it wasn't going to play for the top of the table straight away, but they are showing good things so I think we have to continue. The state of mind is there, I think there are only details that are missing.
In your opinion, is Olivier Dall'Oglio the man for the job?
Of course, because last year, we weren't really well when he arrived, and in the end we went up. I think that in Ligue 1, he can maintain ASSE. He will make the most skeptical about the next matches lie.
Why didn't you extend with ASSE?
I didn't extend it because no one had contacted me, and I think it was a page that needed to be turned. I had to look elsewhere, my loan at Le Puy was a success. And then, coming back, I play, I don't play, it was a bit of a roller coaster. I needed a club that was a little more stable so that I could play as many matches as possible.
How did your signing for Dunkirk go?
As I already said, they came to see me in certain matches with ASSE, particularly in reserve, and it happened naturally. They contacted me, they contacted my agents, and then it was clear in my head. I needed a club that really wanted me, and in the end I'm not disappointed, and even very happy to be here.
We imagine that it wasn't easy for you to leave your bearings…
I had my family who were close to me, so they came with me and we managed to find a nice apartment. I just want to play football, not worry, and have fun.
Have you been approached by other clubs?
I had other requests in Ligue 2, but not in Ligue 1. But as I said, I needed a club that really wanted me, and that gave me what I needed. This is what I came to look for in Dunkirk, and I found it. With the group we have and what we're doing at the moment, I couldn't ask for better.
Which Ligue 2 clubs were interested?
They were mid-table clubs.
“We all hope to play in the elite one day. I want to climb the ladder little by little, but not skip the steps. Everything is going well at Dunkirk, so there is no reason to want anything else.”
From a personal point of view, what are your goals?
It would be to help the team as much as possible, to have a little more important statistics, but I don't really look at that. I really look at how I am on the pitch, even if I didn't score, it doesn't matter. I prefer that it benefits the team because I don't look at my performance first, but that of the team first.
And your collective goals?
Initially, the objective was maintenance. But in reality, we didn't really set any goals. When the coach (Luis Castro) arrived (in September 2023), he had done 6 big last months, so the management and the club really thought there was something good to do this year. We don't worry, we take it game by game. There we work for Metz and not for Caen. Nobody puts pressure on themselves. We have a good group that lives well and wants to succeed together, so we'll see where it takes us.
Without tongue in cheek, Ligue 1, are we still thinking about it?
Obviously, last year, I had more difficult times, and now I'm playing a series of matches and things are going pretty well. I tell myself that I will try to help the team as much as possible to get as high as possible at the end of the championship. There we don't say to ourselves “we're going to finish first, we want Ligue 1”. Even personally, I see match after match, performance, and we will do the accounts at the end of the season.
Precisely, Dunkirk is 1st, tied on points with Paris FC (28). What do you think of this team, which has just been bought?
I think it's good because there is a new buyer, it shows that Ligue 2 is being watched. It's always pleasant, it will allow us to see more people at Paris FC. There are very good players there, it's good for them.
How do you see your career trajectory?
We all hope to play in the elite one day. I want to climb the ladder little by little, but not skip the steps. Everything is going well in Dunkirk, so there's no reason to want anything else. The objective is to perform with Dunkerque and we will see what happens. I think we should not skip steps, not go too quickly, because that can be a hindrance. Going to a club and not playing is not what I want. I prefer to go to a less prestigious club and play all the matches.
Would you like going abroad?
Why not, I am open to all suggestions that come to me later.
In which countries?
In the European top 5, I would say Spain. It's a little more what suits me in terms of my style of play. There is also Portugal. The coach is Portuguese, and we see how he works, so I think it must work very well there.
Finding ASSE as an opponent, you inevitably think about it…
It's in a little corner of my mind because I haven't really broken through there. I did a few appearances which helped me find the clubs I played at. It would also be cool to find them in the Coupe de France, if we manage to get past Auxerre and them OM. We always hope to play against our training club one day, and prove them wrong.
And is coming back as a player also in the back of your mind?
It's a pretty good idea. Initially, I want to climb the ladder, but then why not. If they come to call me back, it will be something to think about, also to see with the other proposals. It’s a club that knows me so it might be easier. For the moment, I'm not there, I'm focusing on Dunkirk and my season.
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