In the 1952–53 season, Couteaux only scored 7 goals, as Nice finished in the lower half of the table.
After seeing him do very well in the Division 2, Nice (who had won the Coupe de France but finished mid-table in the league) re-signed Courteaux.
Courteaux, however, was largely overshadowed by 22 year old Just Fontaine, and was sold once more to a Division 2 team when the 1954–55 season ended: Stade Français.
After that season he moved to tiny Parisian club CA Paris, who were a decidedly lower-half team in Division 2: In 1955–56 they had finished 19th out of 20.
[3] Courteaux retired from professional football in 1958, and joined amateur club La Voulte.