In Vigneux-de-Bretagne, north of Nantes, the road narrows, the bitumen disappears to make way for a driveway. At the end of the path, in the middle of the woods, Maxime Bossis breathes the fresh air. From its terrace, it has a view of ten enclosed hectares, squirrels, deer and wild boars. His world, him, the son of Vendée farmers, who grew up in the countryside. In his living room, nothing recalls his 76 selections, his 15 World Cup matches, long a record among the Blues. “The documents, the newspapers are in boxes, explains the former Canary. Anyway, I have more books on birds than football. I rarely go on vacation without my binoculars. Without football, I would certainly have branched off towards nature and ecology. »
However, one match marked him for life in the collective memory of the French. In the furnace of Seville, in the semi-final of the 82 World Cup, the “Grand Max” remains the unfortunate hero of this France – Germany (3-3), a legendary fight, with unique and unequaled dramaturgy. Its emotional power is the strength of disappointed love and extinguished hope. It has stood the test of time, inspired by plays. And in the middle of the tumult, there is this missed shot on goal by Maxime Bossis, his 86 meter who cowers, kneels under the weight of failure, this grimacing face and this haggard look.
“Seville, it comes in 30 seconds”
Forty-two years later, we still talk to him about it, as if to evacuate a national trauma. “It comes into conversation in thirty seconds, assures Maxime Bossis. It is both my greatest memory as a footballer and also the most painful. When we started the Euro, we had digested, even if we never completely digest. » Two years later, during the Euro, the ghosts of Seville hovered over this breathtaking semi-final, against Portugal (3-2), and its stunning overtime. “At one point I saw Seville again, I thought of another failure and it was terrifying,” recognize…” This…
