René Alpsteg

{{Infobox football biography

| name = René Alpsteg

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| full_name =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|12|03|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Bonneville, Haute-Savoie, France

| death_date = {{death date and age|2001|12|24|1920|12|03|df=yes}}

| death_place = Vétraz-Monthoux, France

| height = 1.78m

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1940–1942 | clubs1 = CA Bonneville | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1942–1944 | clubs2 = US Annemasse | caps2 = | goals2 =

| years3 = 1944–1953 | clubs3 = Saint-Étienne | caps3 = 262 | goals3 = 104

| years4 = 1953–1955 | clubs4 = Racing Besançon | caps4 = 66 | goals4 = 7

| years5 = 1955–1957 | clubs5 = US Annemasse | caps5 = | goals5 =

| totalcaps = | totalgoals =

| nationalyears1 = 1947–1952

| nationalteam1 = France

| nationalcaps1 = 12

| nationalgoals1 = 4

| medaltemplates =

}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.football-the-story.com/rene-alpsteg |title=René Alpsteg - L'histoire des légendes du football |trans-title=René Alpsteg - The Story of Football Legends |language=fr |website=www.football-the-story.com |access-date=22 May 2025}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/29339/Rene_Alpsteg.html |title=René Alpsteg (Player) |website=www.national-football-teams.com |access-date=22 May 2025}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.pari-et-gagne.com/equipe/equipe-saintetienne.html |title=Grandes Equipes del AS Saint-Etienne |trans-title=Great Teams of AS Saint-Etienne |language=fr |website=www.pari-et-gagne.com |access-date=22 May 2025}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bd6t5101693j/f8.image.r=alpsteg.zoom |title=Quatre superbes buts d’Alpsteg contre un Ibrir sans réactions |trans-title=Four superb goals from Alpsteg against an unresponsive Ibrir |language=fr |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=L'Équipe |page=8 |date=23 April 1951 |access-date=22 May 2025}} 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. 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.{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bd6t51014012/f7.image.r=alpsteg.zoom |title=Le Stéphanois ALPSTEG s’était aperçu de la blessure de LIBERATI |trans-title=The Stéphanois ALPSTEG had noticed LIBERATI's injury |language=fr |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=L'Équipe |page=7 |date=17 September 1951 |access-date=22 May 2025}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.pari-et-gagne.com/joueur/rene_alpsteg.html |title=René Alpsteg - Fiche de stats du joueur de football |trans-title=René Alpsteg - Football Player Stats Sheet |language=fr |website=www.pari-et-gagne.com |access-date=22 May 2025}} 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). 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. He then returned to US Annemasse, where he retired in 1957, aged 37.

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.{{cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=377 |title=René Alpsteg, international footballer |website=eu-football.info |access-date=22 May 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bd6t5100124p/f1.item.r=alpsteg.zoom |title=France ut lutter longuement et énergiquement pour maintenir sur la Hollande ion avance de 1-0 à la mi-temps |trans-title=France had to fight long and hard to maintain their 1-0 halftime lead over Holland |language=fr |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=L'Équipe |page=1 |date=27 May 1947 |access-date=22 May 2025 }} 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.{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bd6t5101249v/f8.item.r=alpsteg.zoom |title=GRUMELLON (coupure au nez) a quitté le terrain au bout de 4 minutes et ALPSTEG a joué ailier droit |trans-title=GRUMELLON (cut nose) left the field after 4 minutes and ALPSTEG played right winger |language=fr |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=L'Équipe |page=8 |date=21 April 1952 |access-date=22 May 2025 }}

In total, Alpsteg earned 12 international caps between 1947 and 1952, scoring four goals.{{cite web |url=https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/7910-alpsteg-rene/fiche.html |title=René Alpsteg |language=fr |website=www.fff.fr |access-date=22 May 2025}}