Roger Piantoni

1950/57 FC Nancy (FRA) 248 matches, 114 goals

(French Championship: 217 matches, 92 goals)

(Coupe de France: 27 matches, 21 goals)

(Coupe Charles Drago: 4 matches, 1 goal)

1957/64 Stade de Reims (FRA) 198 matches, 132 goals

(French Championship: 161 matches, 106 goals)

(Coupe de France: 16 matches, 13 goals)

(Coupe Charles Drago: 5 matches, 3 goals)

(Challenge des Champions: 2 matches, 3 goals)

(European Cup of Champion Clubs: 14 matches, 7 goals)

1964/66 OGC Nice (FRA) 49 matches, 20 goals

(French Championship: 16 matches, 6 goals)

(French D2 Championship: 26 matches, 11 goals)

(French Cup: 6 matches, 2 goals)

(Charles Drago Cup: 1 match, 1 goal)

With the National Team :

37 caps, 18 goals

(Friendly matches: 24 caps, 10 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 8 caps, 5 goals)

(World Cup: 5 caps, 3 goals)

1st cap: November 16, 1952 against Ireland (1-1)

Last cap: September 28, 1961 against Finland (5-1)

Roger Piantoni

Born on December 26, 1931 in Etain (FRA)

Died on May 26, 2018 in Nancy (FRA)

French, left winger, 1m68

Nickname: "Bout d'chou"

Roger Piantoni grew up in the Meuse where he played in the FC Pennes club, with a certain Thadée Cisowski. Aware of his talent, he was selected to join the French junior team, unfortunately he was rejected due to respiratory failure. But he was still recruited by FC Nancy with whom he began his professional career in 1950 when he was still only 19 years old.

During the 1950-51 season, he achieved the feat of finishing top scorer in the championship with 28 goals. A more than successful first season that gradually brought him to be one of the best French players of his generation. Indeed, he joined the French team in 1952, on November 16 against Eire, final score 1-1.

With FC Nancy, a team that was playing to stay up, Roger Piantoni established himself in the championship and scored 114 goals in 248 matches in all competitions with his first club.

In 1957, he logically joined Stade de Reims, which was the best club in the country. Many other big clubs in the French championship had tried to recruit him, without success. During his first season in Reims, the 1957-58 season, he won the French Championship, the French Cup and the Champions Challenge. At the end of the season, he joined the French team for the 1958 World Cup.

A starter as a left winger, he scored 3 goals in 5 matches during this 1958 World Cup and obtained a historic third place for France. Subsequently, he was crowned French champion in 1960 where he was one of the leaders of the attack as usual.

He will miss Euro 1960 due to injury, during this 1960-61 season, it is his teammate in attack Just Fontaine who seriously injures his knee. His absence at the forefront of the attack costs Reims the title. Despite everything, this season will be that of the second title of top scorer of the championship for Piantoni who continues to impress individually.

However, his career will take an unfortunate turn with a series of periods of unavailability due to injury. Indeed, during a friendly match against Bulgaria in 1959, the winger is injured by defender Dimitar Largov, this injury which will be poorly treated will cause many injuries thereafter.

He still remains an excellent striker when he plays, as evidenced by his 1961-62 season where he only plays 18 matches but scores 16 goals. However, the 1963-64 season was a sad surprise, Stade de Reims was relegated, Piantoni left the club to join OGC Nice. He played there for 2 seasons. But when he was 34 years old and had a series of injuries, he preferred to end his career because of the persistent pain he felt in his knee. His career with the Blues of the French Team was a great success and a great revenge on his failure when he was a child. He honored his last international cap against Finland, where he scored his last goal in the Tricolor jersey on a free kick. He then quickly became a coach, in Carpentras in 1967. Before joining the FFF for 18 years, until 1988, as a member of the Federal Council.

- Top scorer in the French championship in 1951 (28 goals) (FC Nancy) and 1961 (28 goals) (Stade de Reims)

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