After the disappearance of Just Fontaine, this Wednesday morning at the age of 89, the mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinet, indicated this Wednesday morning, that he “will soon propose that a statue be erected in his honor alongside Raymond Kopa”.
Since December 15, 2018, a life-size bronze statue (1.69 m), created by British artist Carl Payne (deceased in 2021) paying tribute to the 1958 Ballon d’Or and “monument” of the Red and White club (1951-1956 then 1959 to 1967), watches over the forecourt of the Auguste-Delaune Stadium.
At the time, the work, with a total cost of 200,000 euros, had been financed mainly by the city of Reims, and nearly 40% by a call for donations to which Real Madrid or the city of Angers.
Just Fontaine, who wore the colors of Stade de Reims from 1956 to 1962, also wrote some of the most beautiful pages in the history of the Champagne club, with which he won three French championships (1958, 1960, 1962) , of which he finished top scorer in 1958 (34 goals) s and 1960 (28). He also achieved the Coupe-Championnat double in 1958, scoring the second goal in the Coupe de France final against Nîmes (3-1).
