Raymond Kopa

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Raymond Kopa
Kopa in 1963
Personal information
Full nameRaymond Kopa[1]
Birth nameRaymond Kopaszewski[2]
Date of birth(1931-10-13)13 October 1931[2]
Place of birthNœux-les-Mines,[2] Pas-de-Calais, France
Date of death3 March 2017(2017-03-03) (aged 85)
Place of deathAngers, Maine-et-Loire, France
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s)
Youth career
1941–1949Nœux-les-Mines
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1949–1951Angers60(15)
1951–1956Reims158(48)
1956–1959Real Madrid79(24)
1959–1967Reims244(36)
Total541(123)
International career
1952–1962France45(18)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Third place1958
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;[3] 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 European Cups.

Considered one of the greatest players of all-time,[4][5][6] Kopa was a forward or an attacking midfielder who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring.[7] 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

[edit]

Kopa was born to a family of Polish immigrants.[8] 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.[9]

His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952.[9] 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.[3]

Personal life

[edit]

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.[3] Kopa died in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on 3 March 2017, aged 85.[10]

Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.[11]

Career

[edit]
Kopa with France in 1960

After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949,[3] 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.[12]

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".[3] 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.[13]

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.[14]

In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.[15] 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.[16]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[17]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Angers1949–50Division 2
1950–51Division 2
Total6015
Reims1951–52Division 1338
1952–53Division 13313
1953–54Division 13111
1954–55Division 13111
1955–56Division 1305
Total15848
Real Madrid1956–57La Liga2260082308
1957–58La Liga27800733411
1958–59La Liga301000713711
Total79240022610130
Reims1959–60Division 13614
1960–61Division 1305
1961–62Division 1302
1962–63Division 1341
1963–64Division 1255
1964–65Division 2293
1965–66Division 2273
1966–67Division 1333
Total24436
Career total541123

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[citation needed]
National teamYearAppsGoals
France195252
195363
195464
195564
195610
195700
195874
195940
196031
196130
196240
Total4518
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kopa goal.
List of international goals scored by Raymond Kopa[18]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
111 November 1952Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Northern Ireland3–1Friendly
2
314 May 1953Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Wales6–1Friendly
4
520 September 1953Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Luxembourg6–11954 FIFA World Cup qualification
630 May 1954Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Belgium3–3Friendly
719 June 1954Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland Mexico3–21954 FIFA World Cup
811 November 1954Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Belgium2–2Friendly
9
1017 March 1955Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain Spain21Friendly
1115 May 1955Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France England1–0Friendly
129 October 1955St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland2–1Friendly
1323 October 1955Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union Soviet Union2–2Friendly
148 June 1958Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden Paraguay7–31958 FIFA World Cup
1515 June 1958Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden Scotland2–11958 FIFA World Cup
1626 June 1958Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden West Germany6–31958 FIFA World Cup
171 October 1958Parc des Princes, Paris, France Greece7–1UEFA Euro 1960
1827 March 1960Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria Austria4–2UEFA Euro 1960

Honours

[edit]

Reims


Real Madrid

France

Individual

Orders

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Shared with Duncan Edwards

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Décret du 6 avril 2007 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 6 April 2007 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2007 (84). 8 April 2007. PREX0710142D. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Raymond Kopa". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gaillard, William (4 February 2011). "Goals, not coal, for Kopa". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  4. ^ "The 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  5. ^ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  6. ^ Ritchie, Calum (23 November 2023). "25 Greatest Players Of All Time (Ranked)". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  7. ^ The Greatest Offensive Midfielders of All-Time. xtratime.org
  8. ^ Braun, Didier. "L'Équipe de France de football, c'est l'histoire en raccourci d'un siècle d'immigration" (PDF). L'Équipe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  9. ^ a b Boli, C; Grognet, F; Gastaut, Y (2010). Allez la France! football et immigration. Gallimard. ISBN 978-2070129638.
  10. ^ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  11. ^ Philippe Rey-Gorez and Alexandre Audabram (2 April 2018). "Paul Sinibaldi, ancienne star du Stade de Reims, est mort" (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. ^ "European Cup final results since 1956". Reuters. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  13. ^ Hanot, Gabriel. "Palmarès Ballon d'Or – 1958 – Raymond Kopa". www.francefootball.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  14. ^ France vs. West Germany, 1958 FIFA World Cup, archived from the original on 5 September 2015
  15. ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  16. ^ "Kylian Mbappé est le vainqueur du premier Trophée Kopa" [Kylian Mbappé is the winner of the first Kopa Trophy]. France Football (in French). 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  17. ^ Raymond Kopa at National-Football-Teams.com
  18. ^ "Raymond Kopa – national football team player".
  19. ^ "On this day, Real Madrid lifted club's second Latin Cup". RealMadrid.com. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  20. ^ "France – Footballer of the Year".
  21. ^ "Matches of FIFA XI".
  22. ^ "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
  23. ^ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
  24. ^ "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  25. ^ "UEFA President's Award". UEFA. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raymond Kopa.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_Kopa&oldid=1316999678"

    Raymond Kopa
    Kopa in 1963
    Personal information
    Full nameRaymond Kopa[1]
    Birth nameRaymond Kopaszewski[2]
    Date of birth(1931-10-13)13 October 1931[2]
    Place of birthNœux-les-Mines,[2] Pas-de-Calais, France
    Date of death3 March 2017(2017-03-03) (aged 85)
    Place of deathAngers, Maine-et-Loire, France
    Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
    Position(s)
    Youth career
    1941–1949Nœux-les-Mines
    Senior career*
    YearsTeamApps(Gls)
    1949–1951Angers60(15)
    1951–1956Reims158(48)
    1956–1959Real Madrid79(24)
    1959–1967Reims244(36)
    Total541(123)
    International career
    1952–1962France45(18)
    Medal record
    Men's football
    Representing  France
    FIFA World Cup
    Third place1958
    * Club domestic league appearances and goals

    Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;[3] 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 European Cups.

    Considered one of the greatest players of all-time,[4][5][6] Kopa was a forward or an attacking midfielder who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

    His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952.[9] 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.[3]

    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.[3] Kopa died in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on 3 March 2017, aged 85.[10]

    Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.[11]

    Career

    Kopa with France in 1960

    After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949,[3] 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.[12]

    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".[3] 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.[13]

    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.[14]

    In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.[15] 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.[16]

    Career statistics

    Club

    Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[17]
    ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalTotal
    DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
    Angers1949–50Division 2
    1950–51Division 2
    Total6015
    Reims1951–52Division 1338
    1952–53Division 13313
    1953–54Division 13111
    1954–55Division 13111
    1955–56Division 1305
    Total15848
    Real Madrid1956–57La Liga2260082308
    1957–58La Liga27800733411
    1958–59La Liga301000713711
    Total79240022610130
    Reims1959–60Division 13614
    1960–61Division 1305
    1961–62Division 1302
    1962–63Division 1341
    1963–64Division 1255
    1964–65Division 2293
    1965–66Division 2273
    1966–67Division 1333
    Total24436
    Career total541123

    International

    Appearances and goals by national team and year[citation needed]
    National teamYearAppsGoals
    France195252
    195363
    195464
    195564
    195610
    195700
    195874
    195940
    196031
    196130
    196240
    Total4518
    Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kopa goal.
    List of international goals scored by Raymond Kopa[18]
    No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    111 November 1952Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Northern Ireland3–1Friendly
    2
    314 May 1953Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Wales6–1Friendly
    4
    520 September 1953Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Luxembourg6–11954 FIFA World Cup qualification
    630 May 1954Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Belgium3–3Friendly
    719 June 1954Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland Mexico3–21954 FIFA World Cup
    811 November 1954Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Belgium2–2Friendly
    9
    1017 March 1955Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain Spain21Friendly
    1115 May 1955Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France England1–0Friendly
    129 October 1955St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland2–1Friendly
    1323 October 1955Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union Soviet Union2–2Friendly
    148 June 1958Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden Paraguay7–31958 FIFA World Cup
    1515 June 1958Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden Scotland2–11958 FIFA World Cup
    1626 June 1958Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden West Germany6–31958 FIFA World Cup
    171 October 1958Parc des Princes, Paris, France Greece7–1UEFA Euro 1960
    1827 March 1960Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria Austria4–2UEFA Euro 1960

    Honours

    Reims


    Real Madrid

    France

    Individual

    Orders

    Notes

    1. ^ Shared with Duncan Edwards

    References

    1. ^ a b c "Décret du 6 avril 2007 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 6 April 2007 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2007 (84). 8 April 2007. PREX0710142D. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
    2. ^ a b c d "Raymond Kopa". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
    3. ^ a b c d e f Gaillard, William (4 February 2011). "Goals, not coal, for Kopa". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
    4. ^ "The 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
    5. ^ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
    6. ^ Ritchie, Calum (23 November 2023). "25 Greatest Players Of All Time (Ranked)". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
    7. ^ The Greatest Offensive Midfielders of All-Time. xtratime.org
    8. ^ Braun, Didier. "L'Équipe de France de football, c'est l'histoire en raccourci d'un siècle d'immigration" (PDF). L'Équipe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
    9. ^ a b Boli, C; Grognet, F; Gastaut, Y (2010). Allez la France! football et immigration. Gallimard. ISBN 978-2070129638.
    10. ^ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
    11. ^ Philippe Rey-Gorez and Alexandre Audabram (2 April 2018). "Paul Sinibaldi, ancienne star du Stade de Reims, est mort" (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
    12. ^ "European Cup final results since 1956". Reuters. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
    13. ^ Hanot, Gabriel. "Palmarès Ballon d'Or – 1958 – Raymond Kopa". www.francefootball.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
    14. ^ France vs. West Germany, 1958 FIFA World Cup, archived from the original on 5 September 2015
    15. ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
    16. ^ "Kylian Mbappé est le vainqueur du premier Trophée Kopa" [Kylian Mbappé is the winner of the first Kopa Trophy]. France Football (in French). 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
    17. ^ Raymond Kopa at National-Football-Teams.com
    18. ^ "Raymond Kopa – national football team player".
    19. ^ "On this day, Real Madrid lifted club's second Latin Cup". RealMadrid.com. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
    20. ^ "France – Footballer of the Year".
    21. ^ "Matches of FIFA XI".
    22. ^ "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
    23. ^ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
    24. ^ "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
    25. ^ "UEFA President's Award". UEFA. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raymond Kopa.
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_Kopa&oldid=1316999678"