Borrowed shoes, no Golden Boot - the story of the World Cup's greatest scorer

Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals at a single World Cup, set in 1958, remains the benchmark for modern strikers. Remarkably, Fontaine was not supposed to be France's starting player and had to borrow boots from a teammate for the opening game after the first-choice striker was injured. He didn't receive a Golden Boot trophy for his achievement, instead being awarded an air rifle by a Swedish newspaper for being a "sharp shooter." Fontaine, who was born in Marrakesh, Morocco, when it was a French protectorate, represented France. Sports journalist Philip Barker explained that Fontaine was not first choice and only started because of a teammate's injury. Fontaine himself noted that there was less pressure in his era, with only two journalists following the team. At the 2026 World Cup, players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane are chasing his record, with the expanded 48-team tournament providing more matches, but they still trail the record set in just six games.