Just Fontaine

1950/53 US Marocaine (MAR) 48 matches, 62 goals

1953/56 OGC Nice (FRA) 83 matches, 51 goals

(French Championship: 69 matches, 42 goals)

(Coupe de France: 14 matches, 9 goals)

1956/62 Stade de Reims (FRA) 152 matches, 142 goals

(French Championship: 131 matches, 122 goals)

(Coupe de France: 12 matches, 10 goals)

(European Cup of Champions Clubs: 8 matches, 10 goals)

With the National Team :

21 caps, 30 goals

(Friendly matches: 12 caps, 9 goals)

(World Cup qualifier: 1 cap, 3 goals)

(World Cup: 6 caps, 13 goals)

(Euro qualifier: 2 caps, 5 goals)

1st cap: December 27, 1953 against Luxembourg (8-0)

Last cap: December 11, 1960 against Bulgaria (3-0)

Just Fontaine

Born August 18, 1933 in Marrakech (MAR)

Died March 1, 2023 in Toulouse (FRA)

French, Striker, 1m74

Nickname: Justo

Just Fontaine was born on August 18, 1933 in Marrakech, Morocco, he is the son of a Norman father and a Spanish mother. Very young he plays football and begins his professional career in the club of US Marocaine de Casablanca, a great North African club of the time. In 3 years in the first team of the club, he scores 62 goals in 48 matches and becomes the star of the club.

His talent crossed borders and he was spotted by OGC Nice who recruited him in 1953. With the French club he won the Coupe de France in 1954, then became French champion in 1956. He then became one of the best French players of the time and was recruited by the legendary Stade de Reims club which, at that time, was certainly one of the best clubs in the world.

This choice would be the right one, he confirmed his incredible talent and had the best seasons of his career. For his first season in Reims, 1956/57, Fontaine broke all the goal counters, he had a season with 31 goals in 32 games in all competitions. For the following season, he won the French championship and the Coupe de France, while finishing top scorer in the championship with 34 goals in 26 games, all competitions combined at club level, he scored 39 goals in 32 games. If we add the matches with the French team, the player has 53 goals in 41 matches, simply mind-blowing.

In 1959, he played in a Champions League final, which he unfortunately lost 2-0 against Real Madrid. Then in 1960, he won the French championship again. With Stade de Reims, he scored 142 goals in 152 matches. In the French first division, he scored 164 goals in 200 matches.

Just Fontaine was not just a simple finisher or fox in the box, he was a striker with incredible finesse and a magnificent touch on the ball, his composure and intelligence allowed him to do great things throughout his short career. Capable of scoring from afar as well as in the box, he was comfortable with both feet and even in the air. His sense of positioning is one of the best of all time.

As soon as he arrived in France, Just Fontaine was a French international, he played his first match for France on December 17, 1953 against Luxembourg, he scored a hat-trick in an easy 8-0 victory. In total, he played 21 matches with the French national team, not being an undisputed starter despite his incredible talent, he still scored 30 goals. Which makes him one of the players with the best ratio in the national team in history with 1.43 goals/international match.

The greatest feat of his career will remain the 1958 World Cup, during which he finished top scorer with... 13 goals! Yes, 13 goals in 1 World Cup, a completely crazy record when you know that he only played 6 matches during the competition. On top of that, he did not take a penalty, a record that is still unmatched.

This record could have never happened, it is thanks to the successive injuries of Thadée Cisowski and René Bliard that the player is called at the last minute to play in the World Cup. Another crazy thing, at the time when players only had one pair of cleats, the player damaged it during training, so he will do the whole competition with Stéphane Bruey's shoes.

For France's first match in the tournament, he slams a hat-trick against Paraguay, a crazy 7-3 victory, then he scores a double against Yugoslavia despite the French defeat 3-2. Then he scores a goal during the third match against Scotland, a 2-1 victory. With Raymond Kopa, he will create one of the best duos in history, the two men find each other with their eyes closed, a treat.

In the quarter-finals, he scored twice again in the 4-0 victory against Northern Ireland, then he became the first player to score against Gilmar during this World Cup, unfortunately, the injury of the captain, Robert Jonquet will completely extinguish the hopes of the final of this French team.

During the match for third place, he had perhaps the best match of his career, scoring four goals against the West Germans. A historic 6-3 victory for a third place that is also historic for France.

A selfless player, he was not obsessed with scoring in every match, yet that is what he did statistically. With this wonderful World Cup, he finished in 3rd place in the Ballon d'Or behind Raymond Kopa and Helmut Rahn.

Unfortunately his career was to be broken when the player was supposed to reach his full potential, due to a devastating tackle by Sekou Touré on March 20, 1960. This tackle caused the French striker a double fracture of the tibia and fibula. But determined, the player returned to the football field on January 1, 1961, a mistake.

Indeed, during his return match, he was again tackled in the same place by Henri Kowal, his leg was broken once again. The player was operated on again and a bone graft was given, assuring the player that he would be able to play football again.

But despite a return during the 1961/62 season, the player was no longer the same, however, he still scored 4 goals in 7 games during the 1960/61 season and 2 goals in 7 games during this final 1961/62 season. The player, broken in his momentum, decided to end his career, he was then 27 years old.

- Bronze Ball in 1958

- Top scorer of the World Cup in 1958 (13 goals)

- Top scorer of the European Cup of Champions Clubs in 1959 (10 goals) (Stade de Reims)

- Top scorer of the French Championship in 1958 (34 goals) and 1960 (28 goals) (Stade de Reims)

- Top scorer of the Moroccan Championship in 1953 (22 goals) (US Marocaine)

- Voted "golden player" of the last 50 years of France by UEFA in 2003

- Voted among the "legends" of football by Golden Foot in 2003

- Named in the typical team of the 1958 World Cup tournament

- Named to the FIFA 100

- FIFA Order of Merit in 1994

- Received a FIFA Golden Shoe in 2014

- Named Officer of the Legion of Honor in 2013

- Medal of the Academy of Sports in 1958

- Received the special trophy of the UNFP for the fiftieth anniversary of his record of goals scored in the final phase of the 1958 World Cup (13 goals) in 2008

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