Just Fontaine becomes the fifth footballer to have his statue in France: find out who the other four are, and there are surprises

A life-size statue of footballer Just Fontaine, legend of the Stade de Reims, who died in 2023, was inaugurated on Sunday in Reims near the Auguste-Delaune stadium before the Reims – Montpellier (L1) match. Just Fontaine, died at 89, “will always be our strength, that of a club, that of an entire city”declared Jean-Pierre Caillot, the president of Stade de Reims, during the ceremony in the presence of the footballer’s widow, Arlette Fontaine.

Next to Kopa

“This statue will be, for our players, our supporters and all football lovers, a daily reminder of what it means to be a great player and above all to be a great man”he added. The work was erected a few meters from that of Raymond Kopa, unveiled in 2018, a year after the death of this other Stade de Reims legend.

Fontaine becomes the fifth player to have his statue in France after Kopa, Jean Prouff (Rennes), Henri Michel (Nantes) and Raymond Keruzoré (Carhaix). This bronze sculpture created by the Franco-Peruvian Juan Carlos Carrillo cost 200,000 euros, provided by the city of Reims. The municipality was also able to count on 50,000 euros in donations via an appeal for patronage.

A final against the great Real Madrid

A native of Marrakech, then a French protectorate, Fontaine arrived at Stade de Reims in 1956 from OGC Nice to replace Kopa who had left for Real Madrid (Spanish D1). In six seasons, the striker played 152 matches and scored 145 goals.

Still with Reims, the striker won the French championship three times (1958, 1960 and 1962), a Coupe de France, two D1 top scorer titles (34 goals in 1958, 28 goals in 1960), and played the final of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1959, lost to Real Madrid (0-2).