Raymond Kopa

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography

Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;<ref name="uefa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.

Widely considered as one of the greatest players of all time,<ref name="si">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="bleacherreport">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="givemesport">Template:Cite news</ref> Kopa was a forward or an attacking midfielder who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring.<ref>The Greatest Offensive Midfielders of All-Time. xtratime.org</ref> 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 lifeEdit

Kopa was born to a family of Polish immigrants.<ref name=pol>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=Allez>Template:Cite book</ref>

His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952.<ref name=Allez/> 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.<ref name=uefa/>

Personal lifeEdit

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.<ref name=uefa /> Kopa died in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on 3 March 2017, aged 85.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CareerEdit

File:Kopa, Franse vortballer.jpg

Kopa with France in 1960

After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949,<ref name=uefa /> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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".<ref name=uefa /> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career statisticsEdit

ClubEdit

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>Template:NFT player</ref>
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	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

InternationalEdit

Appearances and goals by national team and yearTemplate:Citation needed
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.

citation
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1	11 November 1952	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	3–1	Friendly
2	11 November 1952	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	3–1	Friendly
3	14 May 1953	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	6–1	Friendly
4	14 May 1953	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	6–1	Friendly
5	20 September 1953	Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	Template:Fb	6–1	1954 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	30 May 1954	Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium	Template:Fb	3–3	Friendly
7	19 June 1954	Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland	Template:Fb	3–2	1954 FIFA World Cup
8	11 November 1954	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	2–2	Friendly
9	11 November 1954	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	2–2	Friendly
10	17 March 1955	Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain	Template:Fb	21	Friendly
11	15 May 1955	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France	Template:Fb	1–0	Friendly
12	9 October 1955	St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland	Template:Fb	2–1	Friendly
13	23 October 1955	Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union	Template:Fb	2–2	Friendly
14	8 June 1958	Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden	Template:Fb	7–3	1958 FIFA World Cup
15	15 June 1958	Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden	Template:Fb	2–1	1958 FIFA World Cup
16	26 June 1958	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Template:Fb	6–3	1958 FIFA World Cup
17	1 October 1958	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Template:Fb	7–1	UEFA Euro 1960
18	27 March 1960	Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria	Template:Fb	4–2	UEFA Euro 1960