French and world soccer is in mourning. French legend Just Fontaine (Marrakech, 1933) died at the age of 89. Legend of Les Bleus and Stade de Reims (1956-62), with whom he won three league titles, and a cup, and was runner-up in the 1959 European Cup losing (2-0) the final against Real Madrid. The striker holds the record for goals in a World Cup.
French legend Just Fontaine dies at 89 | Ligue 1
In Sweden in 1958, where France finished third, Fontaine scored 13 goals. He closed his national team career with 30 goals in 21 matches. In his career between USM Casablanca, Nice, and Reims, Fontaine scored 258 goals in 284 matches. A brilliant striker, who founded the French Footballers’ Union with Kopa, who in 2014 received an honorary Golden Shoe in Brazil.
“I am very proud to receive this unique award. It’s good because I am also unique. And the guys next to me who give it to me are unique,” confessed Fontaine, who received the award from Platini and Ronaldo Nazario. May he rest in peace.
And here was the first factor to achieve the feat. Luck, or whatever you want to call it, allied with Fontaine, and the injury to first-choice striker Raymond Blair opened the door to the starting line-up. From there, to glory. What almost no one knew at the time was that the boots with which Fontaine tortured the opposing goalkeepers were not his. At the time, each player had two pairs of boots, and good old Fontaine arrived in Sweden short of equipment. Stephane Bruey, a teammate on the national team, had to lend them some. And Fontaine returned them to him, six games later and with thirteen more goals.
