THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY
THE RECORD
Just Fontaine scored 13 goals for France at the 1958 World Cup. No one has scored more in a single World Cup.
THE SUBSTITUTE
Fontaine started the tournament as a substitute, wearing borrowed boots.
THE CHASE
Klose needed four World Cups for his 16 goals. Mbappé has 12 in two. Fontaine did 13 in one. Mbappé, Haaland and Kane are the names who could chase it in 2026. The 1958 tournament is told in full in EP07 of The World Cup Universe.
MORE FROM WORLD CUP STORIES
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The Loser's Final — why nobody wants the World Cup third-place game | England vs France 2026
Spain vs Argentina: the world learns Spanish — Yamal vs the man who bathed him | World Cup Final
The Quiet Machine: Switzerland's road to the World Cup QF 🇨🇭
← NEWER · One Hand. Four Goals. The First Final. | The…OLDER · Pelé's Hat-trick at 17 · Brazil 5-2 France ·… →
THE TERRACES — DISCUSSION
The argument also lives in the YouTube comments ↗.