Known worldwide for his record of goals in a single World Cup, the French striker died at 89.
Just Fontaine is no more, but his name will remain associated with a huge record: that of his 13 goals scored during a single World Cup, in 1958, in just six games. Only Gerd Müller (10 goals in 1970) and Sandor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954) came close.
Often brought back to this historic performance, which earned him recognition around the world even today, the former striker of the Blues and Stade de Reims, whose death was announced by his family on Wednesday March 1, yet had a life that went well beyond this record, and summarized here in thirteen anecdotes.
1 In 1958, he didn’t play with his shoes…
To succeed in life, it is always better “be good in your sneakers”. A hackneyed saying that Just Fontaine had nothing to do with. During the 1958 World Cup, the Blues striker did not even have his own crampons on his foot. And for good reason, at a time when the equipment was quite different, his shoes gave up the ghost the day before the first match, in Sweden. “Justo” then borrowed the crampons of Stéphane Bruey, substitute, before returning to him at the end of the World Cup.
2 …and didn’t even have to play base
In this football from another time, substitutions during the match did not exist. However, Just Fontaine had left to be a substitute at the 1958 World Cup, behind René Bliard, as he told France Culture in May 2009: “If René Bliard hadn’t been injured, maybe I wouldn’t have played the World Cup. I wanted to help out and it had a boomerang effect. I’m in awe as Aznavour would say!” , he recalled in a podcast.
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3Premier Bleu expelled from a match
An attacker expelled, it remains rare. But at a time when red cards didn’t even exist, it’s even stronger. This is the feat achieved by Just Fontaine on October 11, 1959, in Sofia, during a Bulgaria-France. For their first match since the 58 World Cup, the Blues received a more than rough reception on the lawn. In a stormy end to the match, Just Fontaine mimics the sign of madness towards the assistant referee after an offside. The central referee takes the insult for him and sends him off without a red card… since they will only be put in place after the 1966 World Cup. Fontaine then becomes the first Frenchman sent off from a match.
4 The most ephemeral of the Blues coaches
Two games and then gone, this is the record of Just Fontaine on the bench of the Blues. Coming out of his coaching class in 1962, the goleador took control of the France team in 1967. After two defeats in his first two official matches (1-2 against Romania and 2-4 against USSR), he was dismissed from his post and remains to this day the most ephemeral coach of French football.
5 A career started in Morocco
Just Fontaine had his heyday at the Stade de Reims (1956-1962), after having shone in Nice (1953-1956), but his career really began in Morocco. And for good reason: he was born on August 18, 1933 in Marrakech, then under French protectorate. It was therefore at SA Marrakech, then at US Marocaine, based in Casablanca, that he played his first matches from 1950 to 1953, winning a championship (1952) and a Cup (1953) in South Africa. North.
6 The only coach to have brought PSG up to D1
Again, this is a record that is not about to move. During his short coaching career, Just Fontaine wrote a line on the PSG list that no one has reproduced since: to raise the club to the first division. And this, from his first season on the bench in 1973-1974, before directing the first two exercises of PSG in D1 until 1976 and being dismissed for… a game of cards with the players.
7 He founded the union UNFP
Victim of repeated injuries, the striker was therefore well placed to know that it was necessary to create an organization to protect the players, a project launched during his last professional season, in 1961, with Eugène N’Jo Léa Maître Jacques Bertrand. This is how the UNFP was born (National Union of Professional Footballers), still the main union for professional football players in France today.
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8 Retired before his 30th birthday
On October 20, 1960, then player of Reims, Just Fontaine suffered a brutal setback in his career, victim of a double fracture in the left leg against Sochaux in the league. Barely back on his feet, the Reims bomber relapsed less than three months later with a new fracture, and will never be the same player again. He finally retired at the end of the 1961–62 season, aged 28. Fontaine concludes his club career with 164 goals in 200 league games, and two top scorer titles (1958 and 1960).
9 Retraining in textiles
Gifted with his feet, Just Fontaine had put one in textiles. As soon as he retired, he joined Adidas as a representative, before opening two sports stores in his name in Toulouse. The former player also owned two Lacoste stores in his area.
10 Army Captain (in the field)
We are not talking here about military rank, but about classic football captaincy. During his military service between 1953 and 1956, Just Fontaine was indeed captain of the French military football team. He even participated in the qualification of his people for the 1957 World Cup, which he did not play due to demobilization.
11 A passion for ovality and basketball
After having played basketball for a long time in his youth, Just Fontaine almost took a path other than that of a footballer during his time in the army. Indeed, at the Joinville battalion, he fell in love with rugby league. Already launched in professional football and player of Nice, he will keep these two disciplines as passions.
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12 He holds the record for national team goals in a year.
Kylian Mbappé still has his work cut out with the Blues. Indeed, to erase the record of goals in selection over a calendar year from the shelves, the Parisian, author of 12 goals in 2022, will have to pass the second to do better than the eighteen goals of Just Fontaine in 1958, record in matter. Only Lionel Messi has done as well as him since, in 2022, with Argentina. Record that Just Fontaine also shares in a sports season (15 goals) with the Brazilian Ronaldo.
13 The best goal ratio in Blue
With 30 goals scored in 21 selections, Just Fontaine has a ratio of 1.42 goals per game for the French team, far ahead of Kylian Mbappé (0.55), Olivier Giroud (0.44) and Thierry Henry (0.41). ). However, he is only the ninth top scorer in Les Bleus history, tied with Jean-Pierre Papin and behind Olivier Giroud (53), Thierry Henry (51), Antoine Griezmann (42), Michel Platini (41), Karim Benzema (37), Kylian Mbappé (36), David Trezeguet (34) and Zinedine Zidane (31).