Francis Méano

Francis Méano (22 May 1931 – 25 June 1953) was a French footballer who played as a left winger and inside forward.

Club career Méano started his career at in 1947, with the team later naming their stadium after him. That season, he also helped Reims win the Coupe de France, including scoring in the final against RC Paris. He missed most of the 1950–51 season with a fractured fibula, but scored 13 goals in the following season.

International career Méano was part of the France under-18 national team that won the 1949 FIFA Youth Tournament. He later made two appearances with the France national team, with his debut coming at the age of 18 on 11 December 1949, in a 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off defeat to Yugoslavia in Florence. His other appearance for France came on 19 October 1952, in a 2–1 friendly win against Austria.

Personal life and death Francis was the older brother of Guy Méano, who notably played as a forward for Stade Rennais. Méano married his wife, Josiane, on 19 May 1953 at the Reims Cathedral.

Death On 25 June 1953, less than a month after winning both the Division 1 title and Latin Cup with Reims, Méano was a passenger in a Citroën Traction Avant, along with Josiane, his father, Spanish goalkeeper and former teammate Antonio Abenoza, and his fiancée, when it collided with a hearse in Witry-lès-Reims, killing all of them. Coupe de France: 1949–50 French Division 1: 1952–53 Latin Cup: 1953

France U18 FIFA Youth Tournament: 1949