No footballer scores as often at a World Cup as he does. 13 goals will probably remain unmatched forever. France icon Just Fontaine has died at the age of 89. His former club Paris St. Germain mourns.
In many cultures, the number 13 stands for bad luck. For Just Fontaine, on the other hand, it became a lucky number - it brought him fame for eternity. The Frenchman made history with an unbelievable 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the highest number in a final tournament to date. Fontaine has passed away at the age of 89.
"A monument to French football has left us," wrote Fontaine's ex-club Paris Saint-Germain on Twitter: "It's a sad day for all Paris supporters." As a coach, Fontaine had led PSG to the first division in 1974.
When Pelé's star rose in Sweden almost 65 years ago, Fontaine also amazed the football world. The 17-year-old Pelé started his career as a world star and gave Brazil its first world championship title. But all goal records were broken by the unstoppable Fontaine, who led France to a World Cup semi-final for the first time.
The hero wasn't even intended for the squad. Only Thadee Cisowski's injury got him into the squad - fortunately. Fontaine scored three goals against Paraguay (7-3), two against Yugoslavia (2-3), one against Scotland (2-1), two against Northern Ireland (4-0), one against Brazil (2-5) and four against Germany (6:3) in the game for third place.
Crazy but true: His yield could have been even higher. "We also had a penalty, but only Raymond Kopa was allowed to take it," Fontaine once reported - and he turned to his potential successors: "It's possible that someone will break my record at some point. Only: nobody should forget we only had six games back then."
Fontaine made 21 attacks for the national team. Enough for 30 goals, almost half of them at that tournament in Sweden. Comparing with the "bomber of the nation", Gerd Müller, who needed two final rounds for 14 goals, Fontaine commented: "I was faster than him, he had the better goal instinct."
Just - the just one, that's the literal translation of his first name - was born on August 18, 1933 in Morocco, in Marrakesh, at that time the country was a French protectorate, as colonies were elegantly described. His father saw him as an athlete or basketball player, he himself wanted to be a cyclist. But via USM Casablanca he went to OGC Nice as a footballer. In 1956 Fontaine moved to the then legendary club Stade Reims, he was in the final of the European Cup of Champions in 1959 against Real Madrid (0:2).
The fact that 1958 remained a one-hit wonder for him was also due to bad luck with injuries: A double broken leg, at the time a serious medical problem for a professional athlete, ended Fontaine's career as early as 1960, and attempts at a comeback remained uncrowned. His pro days lasted less than a decade.
As a coach - including the national team of Morocco and the Equipe Tricolore - his record was rather modest. Nevertheless, thanks to the summer of 1958, Fontaine is one of the greatest that French football has ever produced.
