ARCHIVES EUROPE 1 - When Just Fontaine talked about his World Cup goalscoring record

Gauthier Delomez 5:50 p.m., March 01, 2023

The number 13, an indisputable lucky charm for Just Fontaine.

While the legendary Les Bleus striker (1953-1960) died on Wednesday March 1 at the age of 89, the Frenchman still holds the record for the number of goals scored in a single competition, the 1958 World Cup, with this number of 13 goals.

If the striker remembers this first great epic for the France team, which had reached third place, a few days after losing the semi-final against Brazil of the young Pelé (5-2), Just Fontaine had returned to his record still valid at the microphone of Europe 1, in 2014.

"If a player beats (the record), I will congratulate him"

A few days before the World Cup in Brazil, the former player and also brief coach of the Blues said he was ready to congratulate the one who would dethrone him one day.

"First of all, I'm not going to give them a bonus if they beat him!", He said at the microphone of Thomas Sotto, adding: "If they beat him, I'll go congratulate the lucky winner".

The Toulousain also evoked the scope of this feat.

"I scored 13 goals playing as a centre-forward, I didn't take penalties or free kicks, not even corners, they (the opponents) were afraid that I would shoot them directly!" joked Just Fontaine.

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If he spoke about it with a certain humor, the ex-coach of PSG in the 1970s felt that it was "important that he be honored".

And Just Fontaine to tell a story, always in connection with his record: "Egyptologists find mummies, which are used to preserve the corpse of Egyptian emperors, queens or kings. And then, they find an intact mummy. So, they brush her, and the mummy moves. Everyone says take the bandages off so she can breathe. When they take them off, her mouth is free, and the mummy says, 'Excuse me sir, Just Fontaine is he still the record holder for goals scored in the World Cup?'"

Another much less salient record...

A story told in 2014, and which is still valid in 2023. But at the microphone of Europe 1, Just Fontaine also liked to be proud of a record, much less brilliant, which he still holds.

In 1967, the former striker was appointed coach of the Blues, and after only two friendlies (for two defeats), he was sacked by the Federation.

In 2006, on the program

, the Toulousain smiled at this smaller number of matches spent on the bench by a coach from the France team: "This record, to beat it, it's going be even harder than 13 goals!"