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Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;[2] 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer. He mainly played as a forward and attacking midfielder for Stade de Reims and Real Madrid during the 1950s and 1960s. He was capped 45 times for the French national team, and scored 18 goals. He was thought to be one of the best footballers of all time.[3][4] In 1958, Kopa won the Ballon d'Or,[5] becoming the first French player to win the award.

Raymond Kopa
Kopa, Franse vortballer, Bestanddeelnr 910-9312.jpg
Kopa with France in 1960
Personal information
Full nameRaymond Kopaszewski[1]
Date of birth(1931-10-13)13 October 1931[1]
Place of birthNœux-les-Mines, France[1]
Date of death3 March 2017(2017-03-03) (aged 85)
Place of deathAngers, France
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Playing positionForward, attacking midfielder
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)
National team
1952–1962France45(18)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Kopa died on 3 March 2017, at the age of 85.[6] The Kopa Trophy, which is given by France Football to the best footballer under the age of 21, is named after him.[7]

Early life

Kopa was born on 13 October 1931 in Nœux-les-Mines, France.[1] His father was born in Germany,[8] and his grandparents were of Polish background from Krakow, who moved to France after World War I to work as miners.[2][8] While in elementary school, his last name, Kopaszewski, was shortened to Kopa.[2]

He started working as a miner at the age of 14, along with his grandfather, father, and brother.[2] He worked as a miner for just over two year,[9] before he lost part of his finger in an accident while in the mines in October 1947.[2][8][10][11]

Club career

Early career and Angers

In 1941, at the age of 10, Kopa joined the academy of US Nœux-les-Mines.[2] In 1949, Kopa entered that year's French national youth football trials. He won the northern competition, and qualified for the national final, where he finished second. Afterwards, he expected to get a contract from one of the French Division 1 teams, but only got an offer from Division 2 side Angers.[2][8][9] While at Angers, Kopa also worked as an electrician.[12] He made his Angers debut under manager Camille Cottin [fr],[13] and played 60 games for the team across two seasons, scoring 15 goals.[14][15]

Reims

After seeing him in a friendly match in September 1951, Albert Batteux signed Kopa for Stade de Reims[9] for a transfer fee of 1.8 million francs, which was around £1,300.[2] He made his debut for Reims on 2 September 1951, in a 0–0 draw against Strasbourg.[1] At Reims, he was mentored by both his club and national team manager Albert Batteux,[2][9][16] and his teammate Paul Sinibaldi, who would become the godfather to Kopa's son.[17]

Kopa helped Reims win two French Division 1 titles in the 1952–53 and 1954–55 seasons.[1][15][9] He also helped them win the 1953 Latin Cup, where he scored two goals in the final against AC Milan at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor in Lisbon, and finished as the tournament's second-highest goal scorer.[15] Additionally, he helped Reims reach the finals of both the 1955 Latin Cup and 1955–56 European Cup.[1] Prior to leaving Reims, he received an offer to join AC Milan, but rejected it because he wanted to join Real Madrid.[2][12]

Kopa played 138 games for Stade de Reims in the French Division 1, scoring 48 goals.[14] His last game for Reims was the 1956 European Cup final, where they lost to Real Madrid.[15] He was expected to miss the match because of an injury, but Batteux played him anyways.[9]

Real Madrid

Before the 1956 European Cup final,[18][19] Kopa had agreed to join Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 52 million francs,[20] which was around £38,000.[2][15] Additionally, it was reported that Real Madrid offered Kopa ten times his salary at Reims.[9] He made his debut for Real Madrid on 4 October 1956, in a friendly match against French team Sochaux. In that match, Kopa scored a hat-trick in a 14–1 win for Real Madrid.[15] Over two weeks later, Kopa made his La Liga debut in a 7–1 win against Real Jaén, where he scored two goals.[15]

At Real Madrid, he helped them win two La Liga titles in the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons, as well as the 1957 Latin Cup against Benfica[15] and three European Cups in the 1956–57, 1957–58, and 1958–59 seasons.[8][9] During the 1959 European Cup final, Kopa was injured after a bad tackle by Jean Vincent.[21] After the 1958–59 season, Real Madrid wanted to extend Kopa's contract, and offered him a five-year contract with a large salary raise.[12] However, Kopa rejected the contract, because his wife wanted to return to France.[15]

In December 1958, Kopa won the Ballon d'Or, which was awarded by French magazine France Football, with a total of 71 votes.[5] He had previously finished in third place twice, in 1956, behind teammate Alfredo Di Stéfano and winner Stanley Matthews,[22] and in 1957, tied with Duncan Edwards and behind Billy Wright and winner Di Stéfano.[23]

In total, Kopa played 110 matches for Real Madrid, scoring 32 goals.[24] While at Madrid, he was also given the nickname 'Kopita', which means 'little Kopa'.[2]

Return to Reims

Kopa in 1963

In 1959, at the age of 27, Kopa returned to Stade de Reims.[15] In December of that year, he finished second in the 1959 Ballon d'Or, behind Alfredo Di Stéfano.[25] Kopa helped Reims win two Division 1 titles in the 1959–60 and 1961–62 seasons.[15][1] However, during this time, he suffered multiple ankle injuries.[9] In June 1963, Kopa made comments to the press saying that "players are slaves" because of lifetime contracts, where players were contracted to their clubs until they turned 35. Because of the comment, he got a six-month suspended ban from football, and caused a large controversy in French football. According to Kopa, he had been asked by teammate Dominique Colonna to make that comment.[9][12]

In the 1963–64 season, Reims would be relegated to the French Division 2, after they finished 17th in the league.[26] Kopa spent two seasons with Reims in the French Division 2, helping them get promoted by winning the league in the 1965–66 season,[1] before retiring in 1967, shortly before his 36th birthday.[8][20][15] He later returned to Reims to play one match in the 1968–69 Coupe de France, where he scored.[24]

In total, Kopa played 592 games in his career, scoring 139 goals.[15]

International career

Kopa was capped 45 times for the French national team between 1952 and 1962, scoring 18 goals.[14] His debut for France was on 5 October 1952, in a 3–1 friendly win against West Germany.[2][27]

At the 1954 FIFA World Cup, Kopa played in both of France's matches, being a 1–0 loss against Yugoslavia and a 3–2 win against Mexico, where he scored a penalty. However, France were eliminated in the group stage.[28] After the team's elimination, journalists shouted for him to "Go back to the mine!".[9]

In March 1955, after a 2–1 win against Spain at the Estadio Chamartín in Madrid on 17 March, Spanish newspaper Marca gave him the nickname 'Pequeño Napoleon' ('Little Napoleon'),[2][15][20] while Daily Express journalist Desmond Hackett called him the "Napoleon of football".[9][29] After the match, Real Madrid began to take an interest in Kopa,[29] before they signed him the year after.[15] Later on, Kopa would call the match against Spain the best of his career.[30]

After joining Real Madrid in 1956, he did not play for France again until the 1958 FIFA World Cup.[27] There, he formed a trio with teammates Roger Piantoni and Just Fontaine, which would continue at Reims between 1959 and 1962.[8][11] Kopa scored three goals at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, against Paraguay and Scotland in the group stage, and against West Germany in the third place match.[31] After the tournament, was chosen as the best player at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.[20]

Kopa played in three matches during 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifying, being a 7–1 win against Greece, and both matches against Austria,[27] as France qualified for the tournament. However, he missed the 1960 European Nations' Cup because of an injury.[32] Kopa retired from international football in 1962,[8] with his final match for France being a 3–2 loss to Hungary on 11 November 1962.[27]

He also played for a Europe XI against the United Kingdom in Belfast on 13 August 1955, and for a World XI against England on 23 October 1963, to celebrate the centenary of The Football Association.[33]

After football

After Kopa retired from football, he started his own sportswear brand. He later retired from that in 1991, before settling in Corsica.[8] In 1985, he raced in that year's Paris–Dakar Rally, where he finished 64th alongside Étienne Smulevici [fr] in a Mitsubishi Pajero.[34]

Personal life and death

Statue of Raymond Kopa outside of the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

His wife, Christiane (née Bourigault), was a basketball player who he met while at Angers.[8] Her brother, Claude Bourrigault, was also a French footballer.[35] They had three children together, but his son, Denis, died of cancer in 1963 at the age of four.[8][9]

In 1961, Kopa helped Eugène N'Jo Léa, Just Fontaine, and Jacques Bertrand create the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels.[10] He would also serve as the union's vice-president.[12] In 1970, Kopa became the first footballer to receive the Légion d'Honneur.[8]

In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers.[36]

Kopa died in Angers, France on 3 March 2017, at the age of 85.[37] He was reported to be hospitalized a week before he died.[20] His funeral was held at the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers on 8 March.[38]

After his death, his former club Angers renamed their stadium after him.[39] In December 2018, Stade de Reims built a statue of Kopa at their stadium, the Stade Auguste-Delaune.[40]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[24]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Angers 1949–50 Division 2 30 7 1 0 – 31 7
1950–51 30 7 – – 30 7
Total 60 14 1 0 – 61 15
Reims 1951–52 Division 1 33 8 3 3 – 36 11
1952–53 33 13 3 0 – 36 13
1953–54 31 11 6 3 – 37 14
1954–55 31 11 5 0 – 36 11
1955–56 30 5 5 4 7 0 42 9
Total 158 48 22 10 7 0 187 58
Real Madrid 1956–57 La Liga 22 6 2 0 8 2 32 8
1957–58 27 8 2 1 7 3 36 12
1958–59 30 10 5 1 7 1 42 12
Total 79 24 9 2 22 6 110 32
Reims 1959–60 Division 1 36 14 5 1 – 41 15
1960–61 30 5 4 2 1 0 35 7
1961–62 30 2 5 0 – 35 2
1962–63 34 1 4 1 4 2 42 4
1963–64 25 2 5 0 – 30 2
1964–65 Division 2 29 3 3 1 – 32 4
1965–66 27 3 7 1 – 34 4
1966–67 Division 1 33 3 2 1 – 35 4
1968–69 Division 2 – 1 1 – 1 1
Total 244 33 36 8 5 2 285 43
Career total 541 119 68 20 34 8 643 147

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[14]
National team Year Apps Goals
France 1952 5 2
1953 6 3
1954 6 4
1955 6 4
1956 1 0
1957 0 0
1958 7 4
1959 4 0
1960 3 1
1961 3 0
1962 4 0
Total 45 18
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[27]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 November 1952 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Northern Ireland 2–0 3–1 Friendly
2 3–1
3 14 May 1953 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Wales 2–1 6–1 Friendly
4 4–1
5 20 September 1953 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 2–1 6–1 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 30 May 1954 Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 3–3 3–3 Friendly
7 19 June 1954 Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland  Mexico 3–2 3–2 1954 FIFA World Cup
8 11 November 1954 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 1–2 2–2 Friendly
9 2–2
10 17 March 1955 Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain  Spain 1–1 2–1 Friendly
11 15 May 1955 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  England 1–0 1–0 Friendly
12 9 October 1955 St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland 1–0 2–1 Friendly
13 23 October 1955 Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  USSR 1–0 2–2 Friendly
14 8 June 1958 Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden File:Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay 6–3 7–3 1958 FIFA World Cup
15 15 June 1958 Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden  Scotland 1–0 2–1 1958 FIFA World Cup
16 26 June 1958 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  West Germany 2–1 6–3 1958 FIFA World Cup
17 1 October 1958 Parc des Princes, Paris, France  Greece 1–0 7–1 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifying
18 27 March 1960 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria  Austria 4–2 4–2 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifying

Honours

Reims
Real Madrid
France
Individual
Orders

Raymond Kopa Media

Notes

  1. ↑ Shared with Duncan Edwards

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 (in fr) Raymond Kopa. Paris. https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheJoueur13179.html. Retrieved 5 June 2019. 
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Gaillard, William. Goals, not coal, for Kopa. uefa.com (4 February 2011). Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "The 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/05/21/50-greatest-footballers-all-time. Retrieved 24 December 2023. 
  4. ↑ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/705591-the-100-best-soccer-players-of-all-time. Retrieved 24 December 2023. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Hanot, Gabriel. Palmarès Ballon d'Or – 1958 – Raymond Kopa. www.francefootball.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort" (in French). Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/football/article/2017/03/03/raymond-kopa-figure-du-football-francais-est-mort_5088622_1616938.html. Retrieved 3 March 2017. 
  7. ↑ Kylian Mbappé est le vainqueur du premier Trophée Kopa (in fr). France Football (3 December 2018). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 Glanville, Brian. Raymond Kopa obituary. The Guardian (3 March 2017). Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 Il capitale umano di Raymond Kopa (in it-IT). Calcio Romantico (24 August 2014). Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mémoires de mines - Les débuts du footballeur Raymond Kopa à Noeux-les-Mines - Ina.fr. Mémoires de mines.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Braun, Didier. "L'Équipe de France de football, c'est l'histoire en raccourci d'un siècle d'immigration". L'Équipe. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120113114313/http://www.revues-plurielles.org/_uploads/pdf/8_1226_7.pdf. Retrieved 15 August 2009. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Jucha, Nicolas. Raymond Kopa, un destin qui dépasse le football (in fr). SOFOOT.com (23 May 2016). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  13. ↑ SCO Angers - Figures. www.sco1919.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. Raymond Kopa (Player) (in en). www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 Thacker, Gary. The rare genius of Raymond Kopa. These Football Times (20 November 2019). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Kssis-Martov, Nicolas. Raymond Kopa, l’homme de deux football (in fr). SOFOOT.com (3 March 2017). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Philippe Rey-Gorez and Alexandre Audabram. Paul Sinibaldi, ancienne star du Stade de Reims, est mort (in fr) (2 April 2018)France Bleu. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Remembering Raymond Kopa, the Napoleon of Football (in en). World Soccer (3 March 2017). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Kopa 1956 - 1959. www.realmadrid.com. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Associated Press. Raymond Kopa, the ‘Napoleon’ of Soccer, Dies at 85. The New York Times (3 March 2017). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Reims succumb to Madrid for a second time (in en). UEFA.com (1 September 2014). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Pierrend, José Luis. European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1956 (23 October 2008)RSSSF. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Pierrend, José. European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1957. RSSSF (18 April 2007).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Raymond Kopa - Fiche de stats du joueur de football. www.pari-et-gagne.com. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Pierrend, José. European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1959. RSSSF (15 December 2006).
  26. ↑ Saison 1963/1964 Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe Charles Drago, Classement, Résultats. www.pari-et-gagne.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 Raymond Kopa – national football team player.
  28. ↑ World Cup 1954 finals. www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Charnay, Kevin. Le jour où l’Espagne a découvert Raymond Kopa (in fr). SOFOOT.com (23 May 2016). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  30. ↑ De passage à Quimper pour dédicacer un livre Les vérités de Raymond Kopa (in fr-FR). Le Télégramme (29 October 2009). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  31. ↑ World Cup 1958 finals. www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  32. ↑ Yugoslavia shock France to reach decider in first EURO finals game (in en). UEFA.com (1 October 2003). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  33. ↑ Mamrud, Roberto. Matches of Supranational Representative Teams 1937-1970. www.rsssf.org (13 January 2025). Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  34. ↑ Final Results Rallye Paris-Dakar - Cars 1985 (in en). eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  35. ↑ Abécédaire: Elus (in French). anjou.foot.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Pele's list of the greatest (4 March 2004)BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  37. ↑ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort" (in French). Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/football/article/2017/03/03/raymond-kopa-figure-du-football-francais-est-mort_5088622_1616938.html. Retrieved 3 March 2017. 
  38. ↑ Décès. Raymond Kopa, légende du football français, s’en est allé (in fr-FR). Ouest France (3 March 2017). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  39. ↑ (in fr) Angers : Le stade Jean-Bouin devient Raymond-Kopa. 27 March 2017. https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Angers-le-stade-jean-bouin-devient-raymond-kopa/788747. Retrieved 8 April 2026. 
  40. ↑ Lermusieaux, Jocelyn. Six ans après Raymond Kopa, la statue de Just Fontaine inaugurée à Reims ce dimanche (in fr). L'Équipe (4 October 2024). Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  41. ↑ Stade de Reims 3–0 Milan (in es). ceroacero.es. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  42. ↑ On this day, Real Madrid lifted club's second Latin Cup (in en). RealMadrid.com (23 June 2020). Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  43. ↑ Real Madrid 1–0 Benfica (in es). ceroacero.es. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  44. ↑ KOPA considerado el delantero centro del major equipo del mundo (1) (in es) (22 January 1959)Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  45. ↑ KOPA considerado el delantero centro del major equipo del mundo (2) (in es) (22 January 1959)Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Garin, Erik. France – Footballer of the Year (18 January 2018)Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  47. ↑ French Player of the Year Winners (in en). FBref.com.
  48. ↑ Matches of FIFA XI.
  49. ↑ "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
  50. ↑ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
  51. ↑ LegendsGolden Foot. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  52. ↑ UEFA President's Award (2 January 2014)UEFA.com. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Décret du 6 avril 2007 portant promotion et nomination (in fr). Journal Officiel de la République Française 2007 (84) (8 April 2007). p. 6583. Retrieved 5 June 2019.

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