Iconic World Cup Moments: Just Fontaine's 13-goal World Cup

His 13 goals in a single World Cup beat Sandor Kocsis’s record of 11 in 1954 and meant that he become the leading goal scorer in the history of the World Cup. More than 50 years on from that summer in Sweden, Fontaine still sits in fourth place on the all-time leading goal scorer’s charts with only Ronaldo (Brazil), Gerd Muller and Miroslav Klose (both Germany) having scored more than him. In fact, only one player (Ronaldo in 2002) has even scored half as many as “Justo” did in 1958.

Even though Fontaine was the leading scorer in France in 1958, he almost didn’t make it at all. In fact, he was only a last-minute call-up to the squad and had played just once for Les Bleus after scoring a hat-trick on his international debut in an 8-0 rout of Luxembourg in 1953. And it was only thanks to an injury to his club mate and fellow striker René Bliard in a warm-up match that Fontaine even made it to the starting XI.

But, once he got his opportunity, Fontaine took it with both hands, as he gorged on the passes provided by the excellent Kopa. Fontaine started his goal scoring exploits with a hat-trick in an unexpected 7-3 demolition of Paraguay in the opening encounter. He then scored two in a 3-2 defeat against Yugoslavia and one more in the 2-1 win over Scotland that put France into the quarter-finals.

He scored a brace again, in the 4-0 win over Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals, which set up a semi-final clash against the favourites Brazil. Vavá’s goal in the second minute gave Brazil the lead but Fontaine was there again seven minutes later, to equalise for the French. But an injury to French captain, Robert Jonquet meant that Les Bleus ended up playing the entire second half with just 10 men and were thoroughly trounced.

All of which meant that Fontaine went into the third-place playoff against defending champions West Germany knowing that he needed three goals to overtake Kocsis’s record of 11 goals in a single World Cup. Fortunately for the French and for Fontaine, the Germans proved to be obliging opponents as Fontaine scored four and kept up his record of scoring in every game to finish with 13- a record that stands to this very day.

His remarkable goal scoring feats are all the more surprising when you consider the fact that he wasn’t even playing in his own boots. After breaking his boots in training, he had to borrow a pair from his teammate Stephane Bruey in order to continue playing. In Fontaine’s own words, “a meeting of two minds inside one boot” meant that he helped an unfancied French side to third in the 1958 World Cup.

Back in those days, there wasn’t even a formal presentation of a Golden Boot and Fontaine had to make do with Air Rife from a local newspaper. Unperturbed by that, Fontaine continued his goal scoring ways even after the World Cup leading the French goal scoring charts in 1960.

Unfortunately for France and for Fontaine, the slice luck that ensured he played in 1958 went against him as a series of recurring injuries meant that he had to quit football aged just 29. He played his last game for France in 1960 against Bulgaria before a couple of serious leg injuries forced him out of the game for good.

And just like that, France’s most prolific striker wasn’t there anymore. Fontaine scored an astonishing 30 goals in 21 games for France averaging a far-from believable 1.43 goals per game – the highest of any footballer with 30 international goals. His record in competitive internationals is even better as he scored 21 times in just 10 games averaging a mindboggling 2.1 goals per game.

Although he was forced to retire young, for three majestic weeks in summer of 1958, Fontaine showed the world just how good he was. And for that alone, he will forever be fondly remembered by every French football fan including this one.