Raymond Kopa
![]() Kopa in 1963 | |||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Raymond Kopa | ||||||||||||||||
Birth name | Raymond Kopaszewski[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | [1] | 13 October 1931||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Nœux-les-Mines, France[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 3 March 2017 | (aged 85)||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Angers, France | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
1941–1949 | Nœux-les-Mines | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
1949–1951 | Angers | 60 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
1951–1956 | Reims | 158 | (48) | ||||||||||||||
1956–1959 | Real Madrid | 79 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
1959–1967 | Reims | 244 | (36) | ||||||||||||||
Total | 541 | (123) | |||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||
1952–1962 | France | 45 | (18) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;[2] 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,[3][4][5] Kopa was a forward who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring.[6] In 1958, Kopa was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1970, he became the first football player to receive the Légion d'honneur. 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.[7] 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.[8]
His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952.[8] 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.[2]
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.[2] Kopa died in Angers on 3 March 2017, aged 85.[9]
Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.[10]
Career
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Kopa%2C_Franse_vortballer.jpg/170px-Kopa%2C_Franse_vortballer.jpg)
After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949,[2] 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.[11]
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".[2] 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.[12]
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.[13]
In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.[14] 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.[15]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Angers | 1949–50 | Division 2 | ||||||||
1950–51 | Division 2 | |||||||||
Total | 60 | 15 | ||||||||
Reims | 1951–52 | Division 1 | 33 | 8 | ||||||
1952–53 | Division 1 | 33 | 13 | |||||||
1953–54 | Division 1 | 31 | 11 | |||||||
1954–55 | Division 1 | 31 | 11 | |||||||
1955–56 | Division 1 | 30 | 5 | |||||||
Total | 158 | 48 | ||||||||
Real Madrid | 1956–57 | La Liga | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 30 | 8 |
1957–58 | La Liga | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 34 | 11 | |
1958–59 | La Liga | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 11 | |
Total | 79 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 101 | 30 | ||
Reims | 1959–60 | Division 1 | 36 | 14 | ||||||
1960–61 | Division 1 | 30 | 5 | |||||||
1961–62 | Division 1 | 30 | 2 | |||||||
1962–63 | Division 1 | 34 | 1 | |||||||
1963–64 | Division 1 | 25 | 5 | |||||||
1964–65 | Division 2 | 29 | 3 | |||||||
1965–66 | Division 2 | 27 | 3 | |||||||
1966–67 | Division 1 | 33 | 3 | |||||||
Total | 244 | 36 | ||||||||
Career total | 541 | 123 |
International
[edit]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.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 November 1952 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France | ![]() |
3–1 | Friendly | |
2 | ||||||
3 | 14 May 1953 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France | ![]() |
6–1 | Friendly | |
4 | ||||||
5 | 20 September 1953 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | ![]() |
6–1 | 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
6 | 30 May 1954 | Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium | ![]() |
3–3 | Friendly | |
7 | 19 June 1954 | Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland | ![]() |
3–2 | 1954 FIFA World Cup | |
8 | 11 November 1954 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France | ![]() |
2–2 | Friendly | |
9 | ||||||
10 | 17 March 1955 | Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain | ![]() |
21 | Friendly | |
11 | 15 May 1955 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France | ![]() |
1–0 | Friendly | |
12 | 9 October 1955 | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland | ![]() |
2–1 | Friendly | |
13 | 23 October 1955 | Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union | ![]() |
2–2 | Friendly | |
14 | 8 June 1958 | Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden | ![]() |
7–3 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
15 | 15 June 1958 | Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden | ![]() |
2–1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
16 | 26 June 1958 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | ![]() |
6–3 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
17 | 1 October 1958 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | ![]() |
7–1 | UEFA Euro 1960 | |
18 | 27 March 1960 | Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria | ![]() |
4–2 | UEFA Euro 1960 |
Honours
[edit]Reims
- Division 1: 1952–53, 1954–55, 1959–60, 1961–62[citation needed]
- Latin Cup: 1953[18]
- Division 2: 1965–66[citation needed]
- European Cup runner-up: 1955–56
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1956–57, 1957–58[citation needed]
- European Cup: 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59[citation needed]
- Latin Cup: 1957[19][20]
France
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1958[citation needed]
Individual
- Ballon d'Or: 1958; runner-up: 1959; third place: 1956, 1957[a]
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1958[citation needed]
- Etoile d'Or: 1960[21]
- French Player of the Year: 1960[citation needed]
- FIFA XI: 1963[22]
- World Soccer World XI: 1963[23]
- World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time[24]
- Golden Foot: 2006, as a football legend[25]
- UEFA President's Award: 2010[2][26]
- FIFA 100[citation needed]
- 3rd French Player of the Century[citation needed]
Orders
Notes
[edit]- ^ Shared with Duncan Edwards
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Raymond Kopa". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Ritchie, Calum (23 November 2023). "25 Greatest Players Of All Time (Ranked)". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ The Greatest Offensive Midfielders of All-Time. xtratime.org
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Boli, C; Grognet, F; Gastaut, Y (2010). Allez la France! football et immigration. Gallimard. ISBN 978-2070129638.
- ^ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "European Cup final results since 1956". Reuters. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ Hanot, Gabriel. "Palmarès Ballon d'Or – 1958 – Raymond Kopa". www.francefootball.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ France vs. West Germany, 1958 FIFA World Cup, archived from the original on 5 September 2015
- ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Raymond Kopa at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Raymond Kopa – national football team player".
- ^ "Stade de Reims 3–0 Milan". ceroacero.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "On this day, Real Madrid lifted club's second Latin Cup". RealMadrid.com. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Real Madrid 1–0 Benfica". ceroacero.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "France – Footballer of the Year".
- ^ "Matches of FIFA XI".
- ^ "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
- ^ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
- ^ "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ "UEFA President's Award". UEFA.com. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Décret du 6 avril 2007 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 6 April 2007 on promotion and appointment]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 2007 (84): 6583. 8 April 2007. PREX0710142D. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Raymond Kopa at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Interview on uefa.com
- 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