Former France soccer great, Just Fontaine, who in 1958 scored a record 13 goals in a single edition of the World Cup, has died, French sports daily L’Equipe reported yesterday.
Fontaine, 89, netted 30 goals from 21 caps for France from 1953-1960.
In 1958, he was instrumental in Les Bleus reaching the semifinals in Sweden.
A prolific striker with 259 goals from 283 matches in his club career, Fontaine was one of the key players of the great Stade de Reims team, who reached the European Cup final in 1959.
Reims, who won three French top flight titles with Fontaine, lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, but ‘Justo’ ended up as the competition’s top scorer with 10 goals.
“A thought for Just Fontaine,” French champions Paris St Germain wrote on Twitter.
As a coach, Fontaine helped PSG gain promotion to the first division in 1974. —Reuters
