Legendary French striker Fontaine dies at 89

2023-03-02 10:48

Legendary French striker Fontaine dies at 89


Legendary French striker Just Fontaine has died at the age of 89. Fontaine's family confirmed his death on Wednesday night.


Player career

Club career

Just Fontaine was born on August 18, 1933, in Morocco, a French colony. He was one of the legendary stars of France in the 1950s. He made his debut at the age of 17 from his hometown team USM Casablanca, and moved to France to join Nice two years later. During his three seasons in Nice, Fontaine made 69 appearances and scored 42 goals, winning the league title and the French Cup.


After leaving Nice, Fontaine played for Reims for 6 years. From 1956 to 1962, he played a total of 131 times, scored 121 goals for Reims, won the Ligue 1 championship three times, and won the French Cup once. In July 1960, Fontaine was 28 years old when he hung up his boots due to severe fractures in both legs.


National team career

Fontaine played 21 times for the French national team and scored 30 times, including 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup. Only with his performance in 1958, Fontaine still holds the record for the number of goals scored in a single World Cup.


Coaching career

After retiring from professional football, Fontaine initially entered the French team to coach, and then went to Bagnères-de-Luchon to coach after two friendly games. He was later appointed coach of Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse and Morocco.