Raymond Kopa

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Kopa was born to a family of Polish immigrants. 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. His surname was shortened to Kopa from Kopaszewski while he was at school. He acquired French nationality at his majority in 1952. 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 teammate of his at Angers. After retiring from the game he launched his own sportswear brand, eventually settling in Corsica. Kopa died in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on 3 March 2017, aged 85. Kopa was mentored by Paul Sinibaldi. Sinibaldi was the godfather to Kopa's son.

In Their Own Story

The stadium in Stockholm roared as Kopa received the ball near the halfway line. He had already scored three goals in the 1958 World Cup, leading France to the semi-finals where they lost 5–2 to a strong Brazil team. But it was in the white of Real Madrid that he truly defined his legacy. In the 1957 European Cup final against Fiorentina, Kopa's vision and dribbling carved open the Italian defense, setting up the goals in a 2–0 victory that made him the first French European champion. A year later, against AC Milan, he again orchestrated the attack, his low center of gravity and quick turns leaving defenders grasping at air. When Madrid faced Reims in the 1959 final, Kopa faced his former teammates—including Just Fontaine—and emerged victorious once more, completing a hat-trick of European Cups.

Reader's Guide

Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Kopa was a forward or an attacking midfielder who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring. 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. After finishing second in the French national youth football trials in 1949, 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. 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 nicknamed 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 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. 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 lost 5–2 to a strong Brazil team. The French team finished third in the tournament. In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. 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 fell

Did You Know?

• Kopa lost a finger in a mining accident at age 14.
• He was the first French player to win the European Cup.
• Kopa was nicknamed 'Little Napoleon' by Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
• He won the Ballon d'Or in 1958.