Autograph VIP: Just Fontaine

Monday, September 9, 2013

Success 2013: Just Fontaine, former French football player best known for being the record holder for most goals scored in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with 13 in 1958

Just "Justo" Fontaine (born 18 August 1933 in Marrakech, Morocco) is a former French football player best known for being the record holder for most goals scored in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with 13 in 1958.

He holds the record for most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup finals tournament, with 13 in 1958. He has also scored the fourth most goals for any player in the World Cup finals overall, after Ronaldo (15 goals in four World Cup tournaments), Gerd Müller (14 goals in two tournaments) and Miroslav Klose (14 goals in three tournaments).

Though born in Marrakech, he moved to Casablanca, where he attended the Lycée Lyautey.

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 on to Stade de Reims where he teamed up with Raymond Kopa, Kopa went to Real Madrid in 1958, Fontaine scored 121 goals in six seasons at the Stade de Reims. In total, Fontaine scored 165 goals in 200 matches in the Ligue 1, and twice won the championship; in 1958 and 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 10 goals.

Wearing the blue shirt of France, Fontaine's statistics are even more impressive. On his debut with the team 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 for the national team. However, he will best be remembered for his 1958 FIFA World Cup performance, where he scored 13 goals in just six matches—a feat which included putting four past the defending champions West Germany. It was also the highest number of goals ever scored by one player at a single World Cup tournament – a record which still stands today. This tally secured him the Golden Boot for that tournament.

Fontaine played his last match in July 1962, being forced to retire early (28 years and 11 months old) because of a recurring injury. He briefly managed the French national team in 1967, but was replaced after only two games, both friendlies that ended in defeats. As coach of Morocco, he led the Atlas Lions to 3rd in the 1980 African Cup of Nations, 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. He 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.

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 2010 World Cup in South Africa, particularly on the lackluster playing by the forwards. France were eliminated after group stage, with a draw against Uruguay and losses to Mexico and South Africa.