Product Code Database
Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three .
Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Kopa was a forward or an attacking midfielder who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaker, and prolific scoring. The Greatest Offensive Midfielders of All-Time. xtratime.org In 1958, Kopa was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1970, he became the first football player to receive the Legion of Honour. In 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.
His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952. At the age of 14, he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and brother by working in the coal mines of Nœux-les-Mines. During this time Kopa lost a finger in a mining accident.
Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.
Kopa had first attracted attention in Spain when he played for France against Spain in a match in Madrid in March 1955, after which the Spanish sports newspaper Marca nicknaming him "Little Napoleon". Kopa was transferred to Real Madrid for the 1956–57 season, where he was soon joined by Ferenc Puskás. Despite playing as an inside right at Real Madrid rather than as the no. 10, his usual position, Kopa helped the club to three successive European cup victories and the La Liga in 1957 and 1958. Kopa was also the first French player to win the European Cup when Madrid defeated ACF Fiorentina 2–0 in the 1957 final. He would go on to be European champion again in 1958 and 1959, the latter against former side Reims, where Just Fontaine was playing. In the 1959–60 season, Kopa returned to France to finish his career with Reims, where he won further Championnats in 1960 and 1962. In total, he scored 75 goals in 346 matches in France's top flight, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or by France Football in 1958.
With the France national team, Kopa scored 18 goals in 45 matches between 1952 and 1962. He played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, scoring three goals as he led France to the semi-finals, where they succumbed to a strong Brazil team. The French team finished third in the tournament.
In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. In 2018, France Football's Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young football player in the calendar year was named in Raymond's honor. The first recipient was fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.
Real Madrid
France
Individual
Orders
Personal life
Kopa married Christiane, the sister of a teammate of his at Angers. After retiring from the game he launched his own sportswear brand, eventually settling in Corsica. Kopa died in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on 3 March 2017, aged 85.
Career
After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949, Kopa began his professional career at age 17 with SCO Angers in Ligue 2 and was transferred two years later to Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955. He won the 1953 Latin Cup with Reims, where they defeated Milan 3–0 in the final, and helped them reach the 1956 European Cup Final, which the team lost to Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid, 4–3.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition 1950–51 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 8 1957–58 11 1958–59 11 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1965–66
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year France 2 3 4 4 0 0 4 0 1 0 0
Honours
Reims
Notes
External links
Categories: 1931 Births, 2017 Deaths, Footballers From Pas-de-calais, French Men's Footballers, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Angers Sco Players, Stade De Reims Players, Real Madrid Cf Players, Ligue 1 Players, Ligue 2 Players, La Liga Players, Uefa Champions League–winning Players, Ballon D'or Winners, Fifa 100, France Men's International Footballers, 1954 Fifa World Cup Players, 1958 Fifa World Cup Players, French Expatriate Men's Footballers, French Expatriate Sportspeople In Spain, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Spain, Knights Of The Legion Of Honour, Officers Of The Legion Of Honour, Us Nœux-les-mines Players, Association Football People Awarded Knighthoods, Naturalized Citizens Of France, French People Of Polish Descent, 20th-century French Sportsmen
|
|
