We must never forget the Blues of yesteryear, whether they are these pioneers whose secrets Pierre Cazal reveals to us every week, or the more recent figures, although now part of the past, and who were also pioneers for to have taken the French team to heights that it did not know then.
Max from the eighties
Maxime Bossis, 76 selections between 1976 and 1986, is the subject of a work recently published by Nouvelles Sources, an autobiography that he wrote with the journalist Emmanuel Faure. Until then, Grand Max, the title chosen by the two men, had only had the honor of a work in the middle of his career, in 1983, with “Bossis Maxi-Max” written by Jean-Marie Lorant and necessarily incomplete.
Le Grand Max, therefore, is part of this French team which, carried by the talent of Michel Platini and the brilliant intuitions of Michel Hidalgo, went from the status of world champion of friendly matches to champion tout court at the end of ‘a Euro 1984 mastered from start to finish, with art and style.
If this 1984 European Championship is the subject of the first chapter, presented as the peak of the career of the Vendéen, Emmanuel Faure has chosen from the foreword to return to another peak, both marvelous and painful, the famous Seville match in 1982 with its unfair epilogue: the image of Max Bossis crouching, his gaze lost after missing the decisive shot on goal, an unsteady shot repelled by the awful Schumacher.
International scope
Of course, Max Bossis’ career is not limited to this missed shot on goal, but the person concerned admits that it is a subject often brought up by the people he meets and who speak to him. The cover of the book chose to present the player with the blue jersey rather than a club jersey. It is true that it was neither with FC Nantes nor with Matra Racing that Bossis reached his international stature.
Of course, his Nantes history takes up a large place in the book. A story which has earned him three league titles and a Coupe de France, a few aborted European adventures, and a very specific practice of football. While maintaining his usual reserve and moderation in his remarks, Grand Max does not hesitate to return to some negative aspects of the yellow house.
No scoop or new revelations, however. The player has very good memories of his time in Nantes, where he remained an emblematic figure, a stone’s throw from the untouchable Henri Michel. Launched by José Arribas in 1973, who became an executive of the team under Jean Vincent then captain under Jean-Claude Suaudeau, Maxime Bossis had no shortage of offensive-oriented coaches, as were also Michel Hidalgo and… Henri Michael.
Career choice
As for the selection, Maxime Bossis explains how the atmosphere within the group was favorable to great performances. Certainly, the competition was strong and some teammates had a damn character, but Bossis experienced few disappointments, if not purely sporting, within the Blues. There he became one of the best full-backs in the world, before transforming into an equally successful libero, then into a stopper during one last unfinished World Cup.
Reading the work shows us how Grand Max’s career was linear, without jerks or gray areas. The player has progressed from year to year, being present at all meetings, performing well and often exemplary. In particular, he refutes the idea that a defender must be “bad”, contrary to what he was advised at the start of his career.
The only gray area in Bossis’ career is ultimately this curious choice of having joined a second division club one year before a World Cup. In the book, Max Bossis returns to this episode, which he does not regret, even if the Matra adventure was cut short. In particular, he expresses the coach’s doubts about the ability of a second division player to maintain the international level, while his direct competitor, Patrick Battiston, has just been crowned champion of France and plays regularly in the European Cup. We then discover how the dialogue between a coach and a player can be decisive despite risky career choices.
