France World Cup great Just Fontaine dies aged 89

Former France football great Just Fontaine, who in 1958 scored a record 13 goals at the World Cup, has died.

French sports daily L’Equipe reported the news of the 89-year-old’s death on Wednesday.

In 1958, he was instrumental in Les Bleus reaching the semi-finals in Sweden and went on to score 30 goals from 21 caps for France between 1953-1960.

Born in Morocco in 1933, he started out at USM Casablanca before joining Nice in 1953.

He moved on to Reims three years later and won three French league titles with the club between 1958 and 1962.

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 lost 2-0 to Real Madrid but ‘Justo’ ended up as the competition’s top scorer with 10 goals.

Fontaine scored a hat-trick against Paraguay in France’s opening group game at the 1958 World Cup finals, two against Yugoslavia and one against Scotland. He also grabbed two in France’s 4-0 quarter-final win over Northern Ireland and drew them level in their semi-final against Brazil.

However, the eventual winners from South America – inspired by a 17-year-old Pele who hit a second-half hat-trick – ran out 5-2 winners.

Fontaine smashed four past West Germany in the third-place play-off match, which France won 6-3.

His 13 goals place him joint fourth in the all-time men’s World Cup top scorer charts, alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi who needed five finals to reach that total.

“A star of French football, an outstanding striker, a legendary Reims player… To his family… Stade de Reims send their most sincere condolences,” Reims wrote on Twitter.

“A thought for Just Fontaine,” French champions Paris Saint-Germain wrote on Twitter.

As a coach, Fontaine helped PSG gain promotion to the first division in 1974.