René Alpsteg

René Alpsteg
Personal information
Date of birth (1920-12-03)3 December 1920
Place of birth Bonneville, Haute-Savoie, France
Date of death 24 December 2001(2001-12-24) (aged 81)
Place of death Vétraz-Monthoux, France
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1][2]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1940–1942 CA Bonneville
1942–1944 US Annemasse
1944–1953 Saint-Étienne 262 (104)
1953–1955 Racing Besançon 66 (7)
1955–1957 US Annemasse
International career
1947–1952 France 12 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

René Alpsteg (3 December 1920 – 24 December 2001) was a French footballer who played as a forward for Saint-Étienne between 1944 and 1953, with whom he scored 104 official goals, which makes him one of the club's all-time top goal scorers.[2] He also scored 4 goals in 12 matches for the French national team between 1947 and 1952.

Club career

Born on 3 December 1920 in Bonneville, Haute-Savoie, Alpsteg began his career at his hometown club CA Bonneville in 1940, aged 20, with whom he played for two years, until 1942, when he joined US Annemasse, where he also played for two years, until 1944, when he turned professional by signing for Saint-Étienne.[3] Together with Kader Firoud, Antoine Rodriguez, and Antoine Cuissard, he was a member of the Saint-Étienne team that achieved a runner-up finish in the 1945–46 French Division 1, only one point short of winners Lille OSC.[2][4]

On 22 April 1951, Alpsteg was due to play in the midfield in a Ligue 1 fixture against Toulouse, but ended up taking the center-forward position vacated by the injured Tamini, from where he scored a 4-goal haul in a 4–0 win.[5] The following day, the journalists of L'Équipe stated that "he played as he had in his prime, often outpacing his marker and putting in a series of shots of rare power, four of which resulted in superb goals", including a 30-meter shot for his third goal.[5] A few months later, on 16 September 1951, he netted another 4-goal haul, this time in a 10–3 victory over Olympique de Marseille, scoring the first two from set pieces within the first five minutes of the second-half, while the other two were scored only because OM's goalkeeper Armand Liberati got injured.[6]

Alpsteg stayed at Saint-Étienne for 9 years, from 1944 until 1953, scoring a total of 104 goals in 262 official matches, including 88 goals in 238 Ligue 1 matches.[2][1] Between 1948 and 1952, he played alongside his brother Léon, a winger, thus becoming the first great pair of brothers in the club's history decades before the Tylinskis (Richard and Michel) and Revellis (Hervé and Patrick).[2] After leaving Saint-Étienne, he joined Ligue 2 side Racing Besançon, with whom he played for two years, from 1953 until 1955, scoring 7 goals in 66 official matches.[2][1] He then returned to US Annemasse, where he retired in 1957, aged 37.[3]

International career

On 26 May 1947, the 26-year-old Alpsteg made his international debut in a friendly match against the Netherlands at Colombes, scoring the opening goal in a 4–0 win.[7][8] Coincidentally, his last appearance for France was also at Colombes, coming off the bench in the 4th minute to replace the injured Jean Grumellon and only 10 minutes later, he scored the opening goal with a rebound to help his side to a 3–0 win over Portugal on 20 April 1952.[7][9]

In total, Alpsteg earned 12 international caps between 1947 and 1952, scoring four goals.[7][10]

Death

Alpsteg died in Vétraz-Monthoux on 24 December 2001, at the age of 81.[7][10]

Honours

Saint-Étienne

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "René Alpsteg - Fiche de stats du joueur de football" [René Alpsteg - Football Player Stats Sheet]. www.pari-et-gagne.com (in French). Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "René Alpsteg - L'histoire des légendes du football" [René Alpsteg - The Story of Football Legends]. www.football-the-story.com (in French). Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "René Alpsteg (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Grandes Equipes del AS Saint-Etienne" [Great Teams of AS Saint-Etienne]. www.pari-et-gagne.com (in French). Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Quatre superbes buts d'Alpsteg contre un Ibrir sans réactions" [Four superb goals from Alpsteg against an unresponsive Ibrir]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Équipe. 23 April 1951. p. 8. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Le Stéphanois ALPSTEG s'était aperçu de la blessure de LIBERATI" [The Stéphanois ALPSTEG had noticed LIBERATI's injury]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Équipe. 17 September 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d "René Alpsteg, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  8. ^ "France ut lutter longuement et énergiquement pour maintenir sur la Hollande ion avance de 1-0 à la mi-temps" [France had to fight long and hard to maintain their 1-0 halftime lead over Holland]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Équipe. 27 May 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  9. ^ "GRUMELLON (coupure au nez) a quitté le terrain au bout de 4 minutes et ALPSTEG a joué ailier droit" [GRUMELLON (cut nose) left the field after 4 minutes and ALPSTEG played right winger]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Équipe. 21 April 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b "René Alpsteg". www.fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 May 2025.
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