France is mourning the death this Wednesday of Just Fontaine, a true soccer legend in his country who still holds the all-time record for goals scored in a World Cup. The former forward of the French national team, who passed away at the age of 89, scored 13 goals in sweden world cup in the year 1958.
Fontaine, who played for Reims where he won three league titles, had a career marred by injury, which may have prevented him from leaving a bigger mark on the pitch, but the memories he left behind were cannot be removed. With the French national team he scored 30 goals in 21 games between 1953 and 1960.
Fontaine was not born in France, but in Marrakech, Morocco, which in the year of his birth (August 18, 1933) was under French rule. After the barrage of World War II, exactly five years later, came his debut as a professional. It was in the Union Sportive Marocaine, a Moroccan team where he was until 1953.
Fontaine’s playing career ended abruptly in 1962 at the age of 28 after suffering two broken legs. “There is a lot of talk about my record but I would have changed it by five or six years, because soccer is my passion. I was at the top and I made a lot of money at that time,” he said. As a manager, Fontaine helped PSG get promoted to the first division in 1974.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
