Just Fontaine, a former France football great, passed away on March 1, 2023, at the age of 89. Known for his prolific scoring, striker Fontaine established a FIFA World Cup record in 1958 by tallying 13 goals in one competition in Sweden.
The great footballer represented France on 21 occasions and scored 30 goals between 1953 and 1960. Stade De Reims, Fontaine’s old team, made the announcement of his passing on Wednesday. The former professional player was recognized as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers by Pele in March 2004 at a FIFA Awards Ceremony. After discussing his personal life in detail, let’s discover more about it in this little article.
Father Delphin Louis Martin Fontaine and mother Marie Dolores Ortega are the only members of the Fontaine family.
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Just Fontaine was the son of Delphin Louis Martin Fontaine and Marie Dolores Ortega. He was born on August 18, 1933. His mother was from Spain, while his father was French. If Fontaine had siblings is unknown. The football player had to be very close to his parents and other family members.
The player, who was born in Marrakech, relocated to Casablanca and enrolled at Lycee Lyautey. The illustrious athlete started out as an amateur at USM Casablanca. From 1950 to 1953, he participated in the school, scoring 44 goals in three seasons for the team.
He eventually joined Stade de Reims three years later. Together with Raymond Kopa, the athlete played soccer. In his six seasons with the team, Fontaine scored 121 goals overall. He also scored 165 goals in 200 games for Ligue 1, twice winning the title (in 1958 and 1960).
With ten goals that season, the late French football great led all goal scorers. He was also a part of the team that got to the 1958–1959 European Cup final against Real Madrid.
While wearing the blue jersey of France, he accomplished even more remarkable feats. The native of Marrakech scored a hat trick against Luxembourg on December 17, 1953, on his professional debut. The gifted player played 21 games and scored 30 goals in seven years.
Despite his many achievements, Fontaine is most known for his record-breaking performance in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, when he scored 13 goals in only six games. At the age of 28 years and 11 months, Fontaine was forced to retire early in July 1962 due to a reoccurring injury.
Meet the family of Just Fontaine.
For more than 60 years, Just Fontaine was wed to his devoted wife Arlette. Some websites claim that the couple had two children together. One of the two children raised by the former French player is a boy, while the other is a girl. However, the Fontaine siblings’ names and identities remain secret.
The football great previously said in an interview that he initially met his wife in Toulouse in late 1959. The couple went through with their wedding and were wed for 60 years. Just Fontaine’s wife would rather avoid public attention. As a consequence, there isn’t much online information about her. I hope she’s doing well.
Just Fontaine’s estimated wealth upon death
One of the best football players in history was Just Fontaine. From 1950 through 1981, he played professionally. The sportsman must have made a sizable sum throughout his three-decade career.
According to Glassdoor, the average yearly income for a soccer player in France is $91K. Even though Just Fontaine performed from the 1950s through the 1980s, he undoubtedly made a living wage.
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