Legendary French footballer Just Fontaine, who still holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup, has passed away aged 89.
The former striker scored an immense 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, including four against West Germany and a hat-trick against Paraguay.
France would finish third in the tournament, but his achievement lives on and has never been matched in football’s greatest event.
Only two other players have managed double figures in a single World Cup, with Sandor Kocsis scoring 11 for Hungary in 1954 and Gerd Muller netting 10 for West Germany in 1970.
He finished his internaitonal career with 30 goals in just 21 caps for France, while also becoming a hero at both Nice and Reims for his goal-scoring exploits.
He scored 51 times in 84 games for Nice and then 145 times in 152 matches for Reims, a message from the latter on Wednesday read: ‘A star of French football, an outstanding striker, a legendary Reims player.’
Fontaine would go into management after retiring from playing in 1962, taking charge of France, Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse and Morocco, the country in which he was born.
Reims reached the final of the European Cup in 1959, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in Stuttgart, but Fontaine finished top scorer in the competition with 10 goals.
Former club PSG tweeted: ‘A thought for Just Fontaine.
Une pensée pour Just Fontaine.
Câest un monument du football français qui nous a quittés, et un triste jour pour les amoureux du Paris Saint-Germain, un club quâil avait mené à la première division il y a 50 ans. pic.twitter.com/XZzDjTsi1P
‘It is a monument of French football who has left us, and a sad day for lovers of Paris Saint-Germain, a club he led to the first division 50 years ago.’
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