Stade de Reims paying tribute to former legendary striker

Stade de Reims will pay tribute to one of its most iconic footballers from the past this weekend. Just Fontaine played six seasons for Les rouges et blancs in what was the most dominant era for the French club.

Ahead of their match with Montpellier HSC, a statue of the late Reims striker will be unveiled outside Stade Auguste-Delaune at 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Fontaine’s widow, Arlette, along with his children and grandchildren, will be on hand for the special ceremony.

The ceremony comes nearly six years after another Reims legend was honoured with a statue of his own, Fontaine’s teammate for three seasons at Les rouges et blancs, the late Raymond Kopa.

Sculptor Juan Carlos Carrillo made the Fontaine statue with the assistance of Mathias Galichet.

Reims supporters will get a chance to see the 300kg bronze statue for the first time on Sunday afternoon.

It is said to be an echo of the ‘Smiling Angel’, a famous statue at the Cathedral of Reims.

During Fontaine’s tenure at Reims, the club won three Ligue 1 titles in four seasons from 1957-58 to 1961-61 and finished as European Cup (now the Champions League) runners-up in 1959-60, with the Moroccan-born French striker finishing as the top scorer in that competition (10 goals).

On two occasions, he was also the top goalscorer in the French top flight and won the 1958 World Cup Golden Boot with 13 goals, a record that still stands today.

In 2013, Fontaine was awarded the Legion of Honour (Légion d’honneur), the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Fontaine passed away on March 1, 2023, in Toulouse at the age of 89.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre