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 the club level he played primarily for Reims but also for Real Madrid teams that won three European Cups.

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, playmaking, 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.

Early life Kopa was born to a family of Polish immigrants. His grandparents were originally from Kraków and migrated to Germany, where his parents were born. They then migrated to France after the First World War.

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.

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.

Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.

Career

After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949, Kopa began his professional career at age 17 with 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.

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 nicknamed 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 Spanish league title in 1957 and 1958. Kopa was also the first French player to win the European Cup when Madrid defeated 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 lost 5–2 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.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupEuropean CupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAngers1949–50Division 230710–3171950–51307––307Total601410–6115Reims1951–52Division 133833–36111952–53331330–36131953–54311163–37141954–55311150–36111955–563055470429Total1584822107018758Real Madrid1956–57La Liga22620823281957–58278217336121958–59301051714212Total79249222611032Reims1959–60Division 1361451–41151960–6130542103571961–6230250–3521962–6334141424241963–6425250–3021964–65Division 229331–3241965–6627371–3441966–67Division 133321–3541968–69Division 2–11–11Total244333685228543Career total5411196820348643147

International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsFrance195252195363195464195564195610195700195874195940196031196130196240Total4518

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kopa goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Raymond KopaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 11 November 1952 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France 2–0 3–1 Friendly2 3–13 14 May 1953 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France 2–1 6–1 Friendly4 4–15 20 September 1953 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg 2–1 6–1 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification6 30 May 1954 Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium 3–3 3–3 Friendly7 19 June 1954 Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland 3–2 3–2 1954 FIFA World Cup8 11 November 1954 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France 1–2 2–2 Friendly9 2–210 17 March 1955 Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain 1–1 2–1 Friendly11 15 May 1955 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France 1–0 1–0 Friendly12 9 October 1955 St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland 1–0 2–1 Friendly13 23 October 1955 Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union 1–0 2–2 Friendly14 8 June 1958 Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden 6–3 7–3 1958 FIFA World Cup15 15 June 1958 Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden 1–0 2–1 1958 FIFA World Cup16 26 June 1958 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2–1 6–3 1958 FIFA World Cup17 1 October 1958 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 7–1 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifying18 27 March 1960 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria 4–2 4–2 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifying

Honours Reims Division 1: 1952–53, 1954–55, 1959–60, 1961–62 Latin Cup: 1953 Division 2: 1965–66

Real Madrid La Liga: 1956–57, 1957–58 European Cup: 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59 Latin Cup: 1957

France FIFA World Cup third place: 1958

Individual Ballon d'Or: 1958; runner-up: 1959; third place: 1956, 1957 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1958 Etoile d'Or: 1960 French Player of the Year: 1960 FIFA XI: 1963 World Soccer World XI: 1963"ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015 World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All TimeWorld Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015 Golden Foot: 2006, as a football legend UEFA President's Award: 2010 FIFA 100 3rd French Player of the Century

Orders Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1970 Officer of the Legion of Honour: 2007

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