Florian Maurice recounts the pain of being left out of France in 1998

In the silence of a studio, Florian Maurice discusses the contrast between his dazzling start at Paris Saint‑Germain and the bitterness of being absent from the French national team at the 1998 World Cup, held in France. The former Olympique Lyonnais striker describes how some people's happiness becomes others' misfortune.

A promising career in Lyon and Paris

In top form with Olympique Lyonnais, Maurice discovers the French in 1996 and joins the squad for the 1997 France Tournament, a year before the World Cup. Transferred to Paris Saint‑Germain in the summer of 1997, he makes a spectacular start, scoring seven goals in twelve matches, which fuels the hope of a call‑up by Aimé Jacquet.

The decline in performances

After that promising start, Maurice fails to score any more goals in seventeen league matches, which hampers his World Cup candidacy. Not selected, he admits he did not support the French during the tournament, even in the victorious final.

Words that hurt

In the Legends Podcast, he says: “We watch it (the final, with Daniel Bravo) but I don’t want them to win. Well, I’m not saying I don’t want them to win but I’m not there.” These words convey the regret of a player who, a year and a half earlier, harboured the hope of being present.

The feeling of exclusion

“I can’t say I’m a big supporter of the French national team after all, I won’t lie,” he confesses, highlighting the cruelty felt when a brilliant career is not enough to guarantee a place in the national eleven.

A bitter lesson

Florian Maurice’s story shows that club success does not always translate into international recognition, reminding players that fate can change in an instant.