Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa
Kopa with France in 1960
Personal information
Full name Raymond Kopaszewski
Date of birth (1931-10-13)13 October 1931
Place of birth Nœux-les-Mines, France
Date of death 3 March 2017(2017-03-03) (aged 85)
Place of death Angers, France
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder
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
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place1958
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 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. In 1958, Kopa won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first French player to win the award.

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

Early life

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

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

Club career

Early career and Angers

In 1941, at the age of 10, Kopa joined the academy of US Nœux-les-Mines. 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. While at Angers, Kopa also worked as an electrician. He made his Angers debut under manager Camille Cottin [fr], and played 60 games for the team across two seasons, scoring 15 goals.

Reims

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

Kopa helped Reims win two French Division 1 titles in the 1952–53 and 1954–55 seasons. 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. Additionally, he helped Reims reach the finals of both the 1955 Latin Cup and 1955–56 European Cup. Before leaving Reims, he received an offer to join AC Milan, who were prepared to break the world transfer record to sign him, but Kopa rejected it because he wanted to join Real Madrid.

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

Real Madrid

Before the 1956 European Cup final, Kopa had agreed to join Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 52 million francs, which was around £38,000. Additionally, it was reported that Real Madrid offered Kopa ten times what his salary was at Reims. 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. Over two weeks later, Kopa made his La Liga debut in a 7–1 win against Real Jaén, where he scored two goals.

At Real Madrid, Kopa gained the nickname 'Kopita', which means 'little Kopa'. 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 and three European Cups in the 1956–57, 1957–58, and 1958–59 seasons. During the 1959 European Cup final, Kopa was injured after a bad tackle by Jean Vincent. 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. However, Kopa rejected the contract, because his wife wanted to return to France.

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

In total, Kopa played 110 matches for Real Madrid, scoring 32 goals. He later returned to play in one friendly against River Plate in September 1965, as a tribute to club captain Francisco Gento.

Anderlecht and return to Reims

Kopa in 1963

On 8 July 1959, it was announced that Kopa would sign with Belgian club Anderlecht, for a transfer fee of around 2.5 million francs (around £20,000). The plan was to have him play in friendlies and the European Cup for a year, and then rejoin Reims for the 1960–61 season. However, just over a week after the announcement, the transfer was cancelled because Anderlecht wanted to pay him monthly, while Kopa wanted his wages as a lump sum. Instead, he returned to Stade de Reims that summer.

In December 1959, Kopa finished second in the 1959 Ballon d'Or, behind Alfredo Di Stéfano. He also helped Reims win two Division 1 titles in the 1959–60 and 1961–62 seasons. but suffered multiple ankle injuries during this time. 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.

In the 1963–64 season, Kopa was suspended for two weeks by the French Football Federation because of his retirement from international football. That season, Reims were relegated to the French Division 2, after they finished 17th in the league. Kopa spent two seasons with Reims in the French Division 2, helping them get promoted by winning the league in the 1965–66 season, before announcing his retirement in the summer of 1967. He later returned to Reims to play one match in the 1968–69 Coupe de France, where he scored.

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

International career

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

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. After the team's elimination, journalists shouted for him to "Go back to the mine!".

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'), while Daily Express journalist Desmond Hackett called him the "Napoleon of football". After the match, Real Madrid began to take an interest in Kopa, before they signed him the year after. Later on, Kopa called the match against Spain the best of his career.

After joining Real Madrid in 1956, he did not play for France again until the 1958 FIFA World Cup. There, he formed a trio with teammates Roger Piantoni and Just Fontaine, which continued at Reims between 1959 and 1962. 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. After the tournament, was chosen as the best player at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

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

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. After the World XI match, Kopa announced his retirement from international football because of a disagreement with France selection committee member Georges Verriest. Although he retired, there were people who wanted him called up to France's team for the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. However, he was not included in their 40-man shortlist for the tournament in May 1966.

After football

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

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. Her brother, Claude Bourrigault, was also a French footballer. They had three children together, but his son, Denis, died of cancer in 1963 at the age of four.

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

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

Kopa died in Angers, France on 3 March 2017, at the age of 85. He was reported to be hospitalized a week before he died. His funeral was held at the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers on 8 March. After his death, his former club Angers renamed their stadium after him. In December 2018, Stade de Reims built a statue of Kopa at their stadium, the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup European Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Angers1949–50Division 230710–317
1950–51307––307
Total 601410–6115
Reims1951–52Division 133833–3611
1952–53331330–3613
1953–54311163–3714
1954–55311150–3611
1955–563055470429
Total 1584822107018758
Real Madrid1956–57La Liga2262082328
1957–5827821733612
1958–59301051714212
Total 79249222611032
Reims1959–60Division 1361451–4115
1960–613054210357
1961–6230250–352
1962–633414142424
1963–6425250–302
1964–65Division 229331–324
1965–6627371–344
1966–67Division 133321–354
1968–69Division 2–11–11
Total 244333685228543
Career total 5411196820348643147

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
France 195252
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
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
111 November 1952Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Northern Ireland2–03–1Friendly
23–1
314 May 1953Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Wales2–16–1Friendly
44–1
520 September 1953Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg Luxembourg2–16–11954 FIFA World Cup qualification
630 May 1954Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Belgium3–33–3Friendly
719 June 1954Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland Mexico3–23–21954 FIFA World Cup
811 November 1954Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France Belgium1–22–2Friendly
92–2
1017 March 1955Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain Spain1–12–1Friendly
1115 May 1955Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France England1–01–0Friendly
129 October 1955St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland1–02–1Friendly
1323 October 1955Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union Soviet Union1–02–2Friendly
148 June 1958Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden Paraguay6–37–31958 FIFA World Cup
1515 June 1958Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden Scotland1–02–11958 FIFA World Cup
1626 June 1958Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden West Germany2–16–31958 FIFA World Cup
171 October 1958Parc des Princes, Paris, France Greece1–07–11960 European Nations' Cup qualifying
1827 March 1960Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria Austria4–24–21960 European Nations' Cup qualifying

Honours

Reims
Real Madrid
France
Individual
Orders

Notes

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Gaillard, William (4 February 2011). "Goals, not coal, for Kopa". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "The 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "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 9 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Glanville, Brian (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Il capitale umano di Raymond Kopa". Calcio Romantico (in Italian). 24 August 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
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  14. 1 2 3 4 Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Raymond Kopa (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Thacker, Gary (20 November 2019). "The rare genius of Raymond Kopa". These Football Times. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
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  17. ↑ Philippe Rey-Gorez and Alexandre Audabram (2 April 2018). "Paul Sinibaldi, ancienne star du Stade de Reims, est mort" (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "Little Napoleon". The Sunday Post. No. 2635. 26 February 1956. p. 20. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Remembering Raymond Kopa, the Napoleon of Football". World Soccer. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Kopa 1956 - 1959". www.realmadrid.com. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Associated Press (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, the 'Napoleon' of Soccer, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Reims succumb to Madrid for a second time". UEFA.com. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  23. 1 2 Pierrend, José Luis (23 October 2008). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1956". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  24. 1 2 Pierrend, José (18 April 2007). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1957". RSSSF.
  25. 1 2 3 "Raymond Kopa - Fiche de stats du joueur de football". www.pari-et-gagne.com. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Real Madrid Tribute To Gento". Express & Star. No. 28187. Reuters. 2 September 1965. p. 38. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  27. ↑ Nicholson, Tom (8 July 1959). "Anderlecht Will Sign Kopa!". Daily Record. No. 19870. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  28. ↑ "Kopa Counts Himself Out". Daily Record. No. 19877. 16 July 1959. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  29. 1 2 Pierrend, José (15 December 2006). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1959". RSSSF.
  30. ↑ "Two week suspension for Kopa". Belfast News-Letter. 26 October 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  31. ↑ "Saison 1963/1964 Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe Charles Drago, Classement, Résultats". www.pari-et-gagne.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Soccer Round The World". Sports Argus. No. 31570. 1 July 1967. p. 7. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "Raymond Kopa – national football team player".
  34. ↑ "World Cup 1954 finals". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  35. 1 2 Charnay, Kevin (23 May 2016). "Le jour où l'Espagne a découvert Raymond Kopa". SOFOOT.com (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  36. ↑ "De passage à Quimper pour dédicacer un livre Les vérités de Raymond Kopa". Le Télégramme (in French). 29 October 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  37. ↑ "World Cup 1958 finals". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Yugoslavia shock France to reach decider in first EURO finals game". UEFA.com. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  39. ↑ Mamrud, Roberto (13 January 2025). "Matches of Supranational Representative Teams 1937-1970". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  40. ↑ "Kopa's 'No' To France". Belfast News-Letter. 25 October 1963. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  41. ↑ "Depreciated". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. No. 27624. 12 February 1966. p. 9. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  42. ↑ "Kopa in the cold". Birmingham Daily Post. No. 33560. 24 May 1966. p. 24. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  43. ↑ "Final Results Rallye Paris-Dakar - Cars 1985". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  44. ↑ "Abécédaire: Elus". anjou.foot (in French).
  45. 1 2 "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  46. ↑ Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Raymond Kopa, figure du football français, est mort". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  47. ↑ "Décès. Raymond Kopa, légende du football français, s'en est allé". Ouest France (in French). 3 March 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  48. ↑ "Angers : Le stade Jean-Bouin devient Raymond-Kopa". L'Équipe (in French). 27 March 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  49. ↑ Lermusieaux, Jocelyn (4 October 2024). "Six ans après Raymond Kopa, la statue de Just Fontaine inaugurée à Reims ce dimanche". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  50. ↑ "Stade de Reims 3–0 Milan". ceroacero.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  51. ↑ "On this day, Real Madrid lifted club's second Latin Cup". RealMadrid.com. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  52. ↑ "Real Madrid 1–0 Benfica". ceroacero.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  53. ↑ "KOPA considerado el delantero centro del major equipo del mundo (1)" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 22 January 1959. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  54. ↑ "KOPA considerado el delantero centro del major equipo del mundo (2)" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 22 January 1959. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  55. 1 2 Garin, Erik; Pierrend, José Luis (18 January 2018). "France – Footballer of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  56. ↑ "French Player of the Year Winners". FBref.com.
  57. ↑ "Matches of FIFA XI".
  58. ↑ "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 26 November 2015
  59. ↑ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
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  61. ↑ "UEFA President's Award". UEFA.com. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
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