Raymond Kopa (birth name Raymond Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French footballer, integral to the French national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three European Cups.

Often considered one of the leading players of his generation, Kopa was a free-role advanced playmaker who was quick, agile and known for his love of dribbling. He was also a renowned playmaker, as well as a prolific scorer. In 1958, Kopa was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1970 he became the first football player to receive the Légion d'honneur, and in 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.

Early and personal life

Kopa was born to a family of Polish immigrants. His grandparents were originally from Krakow 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 whilst he was at school. 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 married Christiane, the sister of a team-mate of his at Angers. After retiring from the game he launched his own sportswear brand, eventually settling in Corsica. Kopa died in March 2017, aged 85.

Football career

After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949, Kopa began his professional career at the age of 17 with SCO Angers in Ligue 2 and was transferred two years later to Stade de Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955. He won the 1953 Latin Cup with Reims, where they defeated AC 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, which led to 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 (Playing as the no.10 is his usual position), Kopa's time at Real Madrid was extremely successful as he helped the club to three successive European cup victories, being incredibly influential in the Spanish capital. Playing with the Spanish giants, Kopa won the Spanish league 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 last against former side Stade de Reims, where Just Fontaine played. 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 given the Ballon d'or by France Football in 1958.

With the France national football team, Kopa scored 18 goals in 45 games between 1952 and 1962. He played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, where Kopa performed outstandingly and was one of the players of the tournament, scoring 3 goals along the way as he led France to the Semi-Finals where the national team succumbed to an extremely strong Brazil team. The French team finished third in the tournament.

Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Achievements

Stade Reims

• French League: 1953, 1955, 1960 and 1962
• Latin Cup: 1953; Runner-up: 1955
• French second division: 1966
• European Cup Runner-up: 1956

Real Madrid

• Spanish League: 1957 and 1958
• European Cup: 1957, 1958 and 1959
• Latin Cup: 1957

France

• FIFA World Cup Third place: 1958

• Ballon d'or: 1958; Runner-up: 1959; Third place: 1956 and 1957
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1958
• Etoile d'Or: 1960
• French Player of the Year: 1961
• FIFA XI: 1963
• World Soccer: World XI: 1963
• World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
• Golden Foot: 2006, as a football legend
• UEFA President's Award: 2011
• FIFA 100
• Légion d'honneur