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Just Fontaine

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Just Fontaine
Fontaine in 1966
Personal information
Full name Just Louis Fontaine[1]
Date of birth (1933-08-18)18 August 1933
Place of birth Marrakech, French Morocco
Date of death 28 February 2023(2023-02-28) (aged 89)
Place of death Toulouse, France
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950–1953 USM Casablanca 48 (62)
1953–1956 Nice 69 (42)
1956–1962 Reims 131 (122)
Total 248 (226)
International career
1953–1960 France 21 (30)
Managerial career
1967 France
1968–1969 Luchon
1973–1976 Paris Saint-Germain
1978–1979 Toulouse
1979–1981 Morocco
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France (as player)
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1958
Representing  Morocco (as manager)
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place 1980
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Just Louis Fontaine (18 August 1933 – 28 February 2023) was a French professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored the most goals ever in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in the 1958 tournament.[2] In March 2004, Pelé named him one of his 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.[3]

Football career

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Born in Marrakech, French Morocco, to a French father and a Spanish mother,[4] Fontaine moved to Casablanca, where he attended the Lycée Lyautey.[citation needed]

Fontaine began his amateur career at USM Casablanca, where he played from 1950 to 1953. Nice recruited him in 1953, and he went on to score 44 goals in three seasons for the club. In 1956, he moved to Stade de Reims, where he teamed up with Raymond Kopa from the 1959–60 season. Fontaine scored 121 goals in six seasons at Stade de Reims. In total, Fontaine scored 165 goals in 200 matches in the Division 1, and won the championship twice, one time in 1958, and the other in 1960. He also took part in the team that got to the 1958–59 European Cup final against Real Madrid, being that season's top scorer with ten goals.[5]

Fontaine playing for France at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Wearing the blue shirt of France, Fontaine has an even more impressive record. On his debut on 17 December 1953, Fontaine scored a hat trick as France defeated Luxembourg 8–0. In seven years, he scored 30 goals in 21 matches. However, he will best be remembered for his 1958 FIFA World Cup performance, where he scored 13 goals in just six matches – a feat that included putting four past defending champions West Germany. It is also the highest number of goals ever scored by one player at a single World Cup tournament.[6][7] This tally secured him the Golden Boot.[8] As of 2022, he is tied with Lionel Messi as the fourth-top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, with each of the three ahead of him - Gerd Müller (14 goals), Ronaldo (15 goals) and Miroslav Klose (16 goals) - having played in at least two tournaments.[9]

Fontaine played his last match in July 1962, being forced to retire early (28 years and 11 months old) because of a recurring leg injury. He briefly managed the France national team in 1967, but was replaced after only two friendly games, which ended in defeats. As coach of Morocco, he led the Atlas Lions to a third place finish in the 1980 African Cup of Nations,[10] overseeing the emergence of such players as Badou Zaki, Mohammed Timoumi and Aziz Bouderbala. Morocco reached the final stage of 1982 World Cup qualifying but were beaten by Cameroon. As sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain F.C., he managed to help promote the club to the first division.[5]

After retirement

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Fontaine in 2016

Fontaine was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He was chosen as the best French player of the last 50 years by the French Football Federation in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003.[11] With Eugène N'Jo Léa he founded the National Union of Professional Football Players in 1961. He criticized the performance of the French team in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, particularly on the lackluster play of the forwards.[12] Fontaine died in Toulouse, where he had lived for 60 years, on 28 February 2023[13] at the age of 89.[5][9][14]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
USM Casablanca 1950–51 Moroccan Football League 16 23 — — — 16 23
1951–52 Moroccan Football League 10 17 — — — 10 17
1952–53 Moroccan Football League 22 22 — — — 22 22
Total 48 62 — — — 48 62
Nice 1953–54 Division 1 24 17 7 3 — — 31 20
1954–55 Division 1 28 20 4 2 — — 32 22
1955–56 Division 1 17 5 3 4 — 1[a] 0 21 9
Total 69 42 14 9 — 1 0 84 51
Reims 1956–57 Division 1 31 30 1 1 — — 32 31
1957–58 Division 1 26 34 6 5 — — 32 39
1958–59 Division 1 32 24 2 2 7[b] 10 1[c] 0 42 36
1959–60 Division 1 28 28 2 2 — — 30 30
1960–61 Division 1 7 4 0 0 1[b] 0 — 8 4
1961–62 Division 1 7 2 1 3 — — 8 5
Total 131 122 12 13 8 10 1 0 152 145
Career total 248 226 26 22 8 10 2 0 284 258
  1. ^ Appearance in Challenge des Champions
  2. ^ a b Appearances in European Cup
  3. ^ Appearance in Coupe Charles Drago

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[15]
National team Year Apps Goals
France 1953 1 3
1954 0 0
1955 0 0
1956 1 0
1957 1 0
1958 12 18
1959 4 7
1960 2 2
Total 21 30
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fontaine goal[16]
List of international goals scored by Just Fontaine
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 December 1953 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1  Luxembourg 4–0 8–0 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 6–0
3 7–0
4 13 March 1958 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 4  Spain 1–1 2–2 Friendly
5 8 June 1958 Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden 6  Paraguay 1–1 7–3 1958 FIFA World Cup
6 2–1
7 5–3
8 11 June 1958 Arosvallen, Västerås, Sweden 7  Yugoslavia 1–0 2–3 1958 FIFA World Cup
9 2–2
10 15 June 1958 Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden 8  Scotland 2–0 2–1 1958 FIFA World Cup
11 19 June 1958 Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden 9  Northern Ireland 2–0 4–0 1958 FIFA World Cup
12 3–0
13 24 June 1958 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 10  Brazil 1–1 2–5 1958 FIFA World Cup
14 28 June 1958 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 11  West Germany 1–0 6–3 1958 FIFA World Cup
15 3–1
16 5–2
17 6–3
18 1 October 1958 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 12  Greece 2–0 7–1 UEFA Euro 1960 qualifiers
19 6–1
20 5 October 1958 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria 13  Austria 2–1 2–1 Friendly
21 9 November 1958 Stade Olympique de Colombes, Colombes, France 15  Italy 2–2 2–2 Friendly
22 11 November 1959 Stade Olympique de Colombes, Colombes, France 17  Portugal 1–0 5–3 Friendly
23 4–2
24 5–2
25 13 December 1959 Stade Olympique de Colombes, Colombes, France 18  Austria 1–0 5–2 UEFA Euro 1960 qualifiers
26 2–0
27 4–2
28 17 December 1959 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 19  Spain 2–1 4–3 Friendly
29 16 March 1960 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 20  Chile 4–0 6–0 Friendly
30 5–0

Honours

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Player

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Nice[citation needed]

Reims[citation needed]

France[citation needed]

Individual

Manager

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Morocco

Orders

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Décret du 12 juillet 2013 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 12 July 2013 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2013 (162). 14 July 2019. PREX1316852D. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Michelle. "Countdown to the World Cup – Total Soccer, Fútbol Total". MiamiHerald.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  4. ^ "1958 FIFA World Cup star: Just Fontaine". Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Just Fontaine, France's record World Cup goalscorer, dies aged 89". The Guardian. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  6. ^ "1958 FIFA World Cup Sweden ™". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  7. ^ Short, Joe (13 December 2022). "Most goals in a World Cup single tournament: All-time scoring records". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  8. ^ "1958 World Cup: Wales' Finest Hour". thefootballhistoryboys.blogspot.co.uk.
  9. ^ a b c "Just Fontaine: Former France striker and World Cup record holder dies aged 89". BBC Sport. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Record World Cup Scorer dies at 89". New Straits Times. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Golden Players take centre stage". Archived from the original on 12 March 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
  12. ^ "France legend Fontaine blasts forwards". ESPN. 11 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  13. ^ "MatchID - Moteur de recherche des décès".
  14. ^ "Mort de Just Fontaine : les obsèques de l'ancien footballeur seront célébrées à Toulouse, le lundi 6 mars". La Dépêche du Midi. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Just Fontaine – Goals in International Matches". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  16. ^ "Just Fontaine - national football team player". EU-Football.info. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  17. ^ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1958". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Saison 1959/1960 Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe Charles Drago, Classement, Résultats". www.pari-et-gagne.com. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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