At the 1958 world cup in Sweden, Fontaine scored 13 goals in six matches giving France team to finished third in the competition
France finished third at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden thanks to Fontaine’s 13 goals in just six games.
With with Lionel Messi of Argentina, he is tied for fourth place all-time in World Cup goal scoring.
“A French football star, an exceptional striker, a legendary Reims player,” his old club Stade de Reims said of him.
“A thought for Just Fontaine,” remarked another of his previous clubs, Paris St-Germain.
An icon of French football who has passed away.”
Fontaine was named “the timeless goalscorer” and a “legend of world football” by the French Football Federation (FFF).
“The loss of Just Fontaine has caused great sadness and immense pain in French football,” stated FFF interim president Philippe Diallo.
“He authored one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the world.”
He and Argenager were joint-fourth on the all-time World Cup goalscorers list. Didier Deschamps stated Fontaine’s death will “sadden everyone who loves football,” adding that he “is and will remain an icon of the France squad.”
A session of applause will be held at all French football venues in memory of Fontaine, effective with Wednesday’s French Cup matches.
A proficient goal scorer and record holder.
Only three players have scored more World Cup goals than Fontaine, a record made even more amazing by the fact that he only appeared in the 1958 event.
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He would not have played had it not been for the injury to Thadee Cisowski and Reims teammate Rene Bliard.
The striker went on to score in every match in Sweden, including four goals in a 6-3 third-place play-off victory over West Germany.
Between 1953 and 1960, Fontaine made 21 appearances for France and scored 30 goals.
He spent the majority of his club career at Stade de Reims, where he scored 145 goals in 152 appearances while winning three Ligue 1 titles and reaching the 1959 European Cup final, when they were defeated by a Real Madrid team that included Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.
He also played for Nice and Moroccan team USM Casablanca before retiring in 1962 at the age of 28 due to a double leg injury
Fontaine managed France for two games in 1967 before leading Paris St-Germain to promotion to the top flight in 1974, where they have remained ever since.
After a brief stint in Toulouse, he returned to Morocco, where he led the team to third place in the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations.
Fontaine is also renowned for her role in establishing the French player’s union, the UNFP, and serving as its first president in 1961.
In 2004, he was named to Pele’s list of the 125 greatest living footballers in Brazil.
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