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

Sport InsightBorrowed shoes, no Golden Boot - the story of the World Cup's greatest scorerPublished1 minute agoCommentsImage source, Getty ImagesByEmma SmithBBC Sport journalistJust Fontaine's record 13 goals at a single World Cup is remarkable in itself. Now consider that he wasn't wearing his own boots, and wasn't supposed to be starting France's games.He didn't even get a Golden Boot trophy for being the 1958 tournament's top scorer - instead he was awarded an air rifle by a Swedish newspaper for being a "sharp shooter".His name comes up every four years as the benchmark for the latest crop of players - but for the rest of the time he is a great pub quiz answer.At the 2026 World Cup some of the best goalscorers on the planet are getting closer to him than others have managed in many decades since, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane locked in a fearsome battle for the Golden Boot.Since 1970, only three times has the World Cup top scorer bagged more than six goals at a tournament. Mbappe has eight already, while Messi and Haaland have seven with Kane and Jude Bellingham one behind.Of course, an extra round of matches for the 48-team tournament will help these strikers as their teams go deep into the competition.But even with that leg up, they are currently still some way behind the man who set the record in just six matches.In spotlight but shunning limelight - Olise's unique rise to topPublished4 JulyProject Mbappe - the road to becoming France's record scorerPublished16 JuneHow Cornish miners brought football to MexicoPublished2 JuneCompared to those who have vainly chased his tournament record for the past 68 years, Fontaine is a relative unknown to modern audiences. While Pele, Messi et al are rightly regarded as the best male players ever, Fontaine is now a piece of trivia.But that is to play down the remarkable life and career of Fontaine - who, if he were playing in the moder...