Just Fontaine

Lore & Background

Born in Marrakesh, French Morocco, to a French father and a Spanish mother, Fontaine moved to Casablanca, where he attended the Lycée Lyautey. He began his amateur career at US Marocaine, playing from 1950 to 1953. Nice recruited him in 1953 and he scored 44 goals in three seasons. In 1956, he moved to Stade de Reims, where he teamed up with Raymond Kopa from the 1959–60 season.

Fontaine scored 121 goals in six seasons at Reims. In total, he scored 165 goals in 200 matches in Division 1 and won the championship twice (1958 and 1960). He also took part in the 1958–59 European Cup final against Real Madrid, being that season's top scorer with ten goals. On his international debut 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. In the 1958 World Cup, he scored 13 goals in six matches, including four against West Germany in the third-place playoff. He is the seventh-top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, with each of the six ahead of him—Gerd Müller (14), Harry Kane (14), Ronaldo (15), Miroslav Klose (16), Lionel Messi (21), and Kylian Mbappé (22)—having played in at least two tournaments. Fontaine played his last match in July 1962, forced to retire early due to a recurring leg injury.

He briefly managed the France national team in 1967, replaced after two friendly defeats. As coach of Morocco, he led the Atlas Lions to a third-place finish in the 1980 African Cup of Nations. As sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain, he helped promote the club to the first division. Fontaine 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 60 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 died in Toulouse on 28 February 2023 at the age of 89.

Reader's Guide

Fontaine's career is defined by his record 13 goals in a single World Cup (1958). He scored 165 goals in 200 Division 1 matches across Nice and Reims, winning the league twice. He was third in the 1958 Ballon d'Or and received the FIFA Order of Merit in 1994. As a manager, he led Morocco to a third-place finish at the 1980 African Cup of Nations.

Did You Know?

• Fontaine owned two Lacoste shops in Toulouse and spent his days playing belote and watching football.
• He was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1984 and an Officer in 2013.