Just Fontaine, who was known as a “monument of French football” who set a record by scoring 13 goals in a single tournament of the World Cup in 1958, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 89. The striker scored 30 goals in 21 international matches for France between the years 1953 and 1960, but he will always be known for the record he set in Sweden, where he played a pivotal role in helping Les Bleus advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
The strike rate that Fontaine maintained throughout his club career was just as amazing. He played a total of 283 games and scored 259 goals for the legendary Stade de Reims club that made it to the final of the European Cup in 1959. He was one of the important players on that team. Even though Real Madrid defeated Reims’ team by a score of 2-0, the player who led the competition in scoring with 10 goals was Reims’ Fontaine teammate, who won three French first flight titles with the club between 1958 and 1962. Paris Saint-Germain, the club he coached from 1973 until 1976 and led to promotion back to Ligue 1 in 1974, announced his passing. He was the club’s manager throughout that time. PSG referred to Fontaine as a “monument of French football” in one of their press releases.
Fontaine began his academic career at USM Casablanca before moving on to Nice in 1953. He was born in Morocco in 1933. After another three years, he relocated to Reims.
At the finals of the 1958 World Cup, France’s opening group game was against Paraguay, and Fontaine scored a hat-trick in that game, as well as two goals against Yugoslavia and one goal against Scotland. Moreover, he scored two goals in France’s 4-0 victory against Northern Ireland in the quarterfinals and scored the goal that tied France with Brazil in the semi-finals.
Yet, the eventual champions came from South America. They prevailed with a score of 5-2, and they were spurred by a 17-year-old Pelé who scored a hat trick in the second half. In the third-place playoff match between France and West Germany, which France won 6-3, Fontaine hit four home runs against West Germany.
His tally of 13 goals places him tied for fourth all-time in the men’s World Cup top-scorer charts, alongside Lionel Messi of Argentina, who scored that many goals in five different finals to reach that total.
Didier Deschamps, the coach of France, had this to say about Just Fontaine’s passing: “The passing of Just Fontaine saddens me, as it will undoubtedly sadden all those who love football and our national team. “Justo” is already a team legend, and he will continue to be such in the future. “Justo” was a very nice and courteous man for the generations that followed him in Les Bleus. He was known as “Justo.” His loyalty to the France team was unwavering and heartfelt at all times. I send my thoughts and prayers to his loved ones, his family, and all of our great elders who are suffering today.
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