Just Fontaine
French footballer (1933–2023)
Just Fontaine
Fontaine in 1966
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 Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 1950–1953
USM Casablanca
48
(62) 1953–1956
Nice
69
(42) 1956–1962
Reims
131
(122) Total
248
(226) 1953–1960
France
21
(30) 1967
France 1968–1969
Luchon 1973–1976
Paris Saint-Germain 1978–1979
Toulouse 1979–1981
Morocco
*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]
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[update] , 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
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
Club
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
International
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
Player
Nice [citation needed ]
Reims [citation needed ]
France [citation needed ]
Individual
Manager
Morocco
Orders
References
^ 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 .
^ Kaufman, Michelle. "Countdown to the World Cup – Total Soccer, Fútbol Total" . MiamiHerald.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011 .
^ a b "Pele's list of the greatest" . BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013 .
^ "1958 FIFA World Cup star: Just Fontaine" . Retrieved 31 December 2016 .
^ a b c d "Just Fontaine, France's record World Cup goalscorer, dies aged 89" . The Guardian . 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023 .
^ "1958 FIFA World Cup Sweden ™" . FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2011 .
^ Short, Joe (13 December 2022). "Most goals in a World Cup single tournament: All-time scoring records" . Radio Times . Retrieved 1 March 2023 .
^ "1958 World Cup: Wales' Finest Hour" . thefootballhistoryboys.blogspot.co.uk .
^ 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 .
^ "Record World Cup Scorer dies at 89" . New Straits Times . 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023 .
^ "Golden Players take centre stage" . Archived from the original on 12 March 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2008 .
^ "France legend Fontaine blasts forwards" . ESPN. 11 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011 .
^ "MatchID - Moteur de recherche des décès" .
^ "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 .
^ "Just Fontaine – Goals in International Matches" . www.rsssf.org . Retrieved 28 April 2011 .
^ "Just Fontaine - national football team player" . EU-Football.info. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2016 .
^ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1958" . www.rsssf.org . Retrieved 18 March 2023 .
^ "Saison 1959/1960 Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe Charles Drago, Classement, Résultats" . www.pari-et-gagne.com . Retrieved 18 March 2023 .
^ "Legends" . Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015 .
External links
Awards
Top scorer Golden Shoe Golden Boot
Golden Shoe was first awarded in 1982
Golden Boot was first awarded in 2010
European Cup era
1956 : Milutinović
1957 : Viollet
1958 : Di Stéfano
1959 : Fontaine
1960 : Puskás
1961 : J. Águas
1962 : Di Stéfano , Løfqvist , Puskás , Strehl & Tejada
1963 : Altafini
1964 : Kovačević , Mazzola & Puskás
1965 : Eusébio & Torres
1966 : Albert & Eusébio
1967 : Piepenburg & Van Himst
1968 : Eusébio
1969 : Law
1970 : Jones
1971 : Antoniadis
1972 : Dunai , Macari & Takač
1973 : Müller
1974 : Müller
1975 : Markarov & Müller
1976 : Heynckes
1977 : Cucinotta & Müller
1978 : Simonsen
1979 : Sulser
1980 : Lerby
1981 : McDermott , Rummenigge & Souness
1982 : Hoeneß
1983 : Rossi
1984 : Sokol
1985 : Nilsson & Platini
1986 : Nilsson
1987 : Cvetković
1988 : R. Águas , Ferreri , Hagi , Madjer , McCoist , Míchel & Novák
1989 : Van Basten
1990 : Papin & Romário
1991 : Pacult & Papin
1992 : Papin & Yuran
UEFA Champions League era
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2024
International National Other