French footballer, with 13 goals a World Cup, Just Fontaine dies
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Paris: Legendary French footballer Just Fontaine, who scored a record 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup died at 89, Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday, his former club Reims announced his death
Fontaine scored 13 goals from just six games in the Sweden WC 1958, and he was added to the playing eleven in the last minute.
He, who had to borrow someone else's boots, gave his opponents a run for their money with great speed and finishing touch.
Fontaine scored four goals in the third-place game against West Germany but could have had five if he had taken the penalty kick.
The highest scorer at the World Cup is now acknowledged with the Golden Boot. Fontaine set the record when FIFA did not present a specific award for the tournament's top scorer.
"Beating my record? I don't think it can ever be done," Fontaine told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview.
"The person who wants to beat me has a massive task, doesn't he? He has to score two goals per game over seven games." Playing in the days when no substitutions were allowed, France lost 5-2 in the semifinals against a Brazil team featuring 17-year-old Pele.
Fontaine, who scored in every match, gave France an early lead with the first goal Brazil allowed in the tournament. But at 1-1, France defender Robert Jonquet broke his leg. Amazingly, he played on, trying to contend with the genius of Pele, but the French defence was considerably weakened.
The record for most goals scored in a World Cup career is 16 by Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who played in four tournaments. Fontaine, who broke the record of 11 goals Hungary striker Sándor Kocsis scored at the 1954 tournament, only played at one World Cup.
Fontaine's meteoric rise as a scorer saw him get 200 goals in 213 games. He scored 30 goals in 21 games for France.
However, his football career got dramatically ended when he was 28. He, who is known for his lightning pace and ruthless finishing, met with a severe leg fracture in March 1960 after a mistimed tackle.