Goal and emblematic captain of Téfécé in his golden period of the 80s, the 67-year-old Basque and 485 D1 matches have found refuge in the Pyrenees. Where he hunts brown trout. Far from the football stadiums.
The Petit-Valier, the Cagire, the Pic du Midi… Leaning against the stone wall of his panoramic terrace, Philippe Bergeroo lists the Pyrenean peaks. “The sunrises and the sunsets, you would see, are magnificent… Then the thunderstorms, when things are going down in Ariège, popopop, the sky is superb!”
Retired from the world of round ball for five years, the goalkeeper of the TFC (1983-1988) and the Blues (3 sel.) Has also withdrawn from civilization if we force the line. In the heart of his Comminges, happy days flow through the streams where he teases trout: “The fario, au toc; I reject my catches, naturally.”
“You have to love the countryside, eh?”, He slips by way of welcome in his village, whose population does not exceed 300 souls. “No, I don’t miss football” continues the native of Ciboure, planted in the middle of his earthly paradise. No ostentatious sign – photo, trophy, jersey – reminds us of the old man’s profession when we sit at the dining room table, around a coffee and cookies, brushed against by Beltza (black in Basque), the cat he has just recovered “in the wood behind, half dead, half wild”.
“I lived my passion for 45 years, continues the colossus (1m91 under the gauge), 15 as a player and 30 as a coach. Incredible luck, I never had the impression of working. Now he There comes a time when, I think, you have to know how to quit. Make room for young people. Then, he hesitates, it’s not to show off my pedigree, but with my two hats I have known everything between Worlds, Euro, Olympic Games which have always been my childhood dream, European Cups. “
Diego, peno, pole
Stop, freeze frame. Unavoidable. Unalterable. Toulouse Stadium, October 1, 1986, first round of the UEFA Cup, return leg won 1-0 after the 0-1 setback in Italy two weeks before. The penalty shootout against Napoli de Maradona, freshly world champion with Argentina, we have to go through it. Alberto Tarantini, his compatriot who plays for Tef, did not tremble when he converted his own. It was the 5th in the series. The deal is simple as King Diego sets off with his strides picked up: if the magical N ° 10 does not score, the qualification will be in the pocket of the gang at Marcico. A real feat. “Above all, says Bergeroo for the thirty-five thousandth time (the number of spectators in the stadium that night), I remembered Alberto’s words: ” Don’t move and wait for the last moment, Diego is still looking the opposite. ” “
The captain of the Violets complies, Maradona shoots the post and the Pink City literally ignites … “What is crazy, notes the international A, is that I did not stop the peno (the ball will rebound on his right thigh after hitting the upright of the cage, editor’s note) but everyone is still calling out to me in the street on this subject… On the other hand, I had stopped the 4th, that of Bagni (smile). “
Secret mushrooms
The hero Bergeroo will play two more seasons in Toulouse, before putting the gloves away. To pass to the other side of the handrail and start a career as a technician with as much success: European champion in 1984 and bronze medal at the World Cup-86 on the ground as a 3rd goal, the man in the shoes today rectangular glasses directed all the teams of France, apart from the Espoirs. Because Aimé Jacquet’s assistant in 1998 was also the girls’ coach at the 2016 Olympiad in Rio.
Five years later, as we have said, the circle has definitely come full circle. Today, Philippe prefers to go to the porcini mushrooms “even if I keep my spots”, bring the belly snack to the friends in the palombières “without hunting, I observe Mother Nature, I am in my element”.
We understood: the Petit-Valier, the Cagire, the Pic du Midi …
This year…
1987. Of course. It is the calendar year at the heart of two seasons: 86-87 and 87-88. Either the first two European campaigns of the Pink City club. At the time, it was called the UEFA Cup; both times, the Toulousains led by their captain Bergeroo will stop in the second round. But, naturally, it is the elimination of the Naples of Maradona for the very first appearance of the Violets on the continental scene which continues, 35 years later, to be told on summer evenings on the banks of the Garonne!
