Background and career
Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer who played as a forward and attacking midfielder. Known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific goalscoring, he was considered one of the greatest players of all-time, and an integral part of the France national team during the 1950s.
At club level, Kopa began at his local club Nœux-les-Mines. Following the French national youth football trials in 1949, he signed with Angers, spending two seasons at the club before joining Reims for 1.8 million francs. At Reims, he won two French Division 1 titles and the 1953 Latin Cup, as well as reaching the first ever European Cup final, where they lost to Real Madrid. He signed for Madrid in the summer of 1956, for 52 million francs, helping them win two La Liga titles and three European Cups. Despite being originally set to join Belgian club Anderlecht in the summer of 1959, Kopa rejoined Reims, he remained until his retirement from football in 1967.
Kopa made a total of 45 appearances for the France national team between 1952 and 1962, scoring 18 goals. In March 1955, he was given the nickname "the Napoleon of football", following a 2–1 win against Spain in Madrid. At the 1958 FIFA World Cup, he famously formed a trio with Roger Piantoni and Just Fontaine as France finished third, with Kopa being chosen as the tournament's best player. He retired from international football in October 1963, following a World XI match against England to celebrate The Football Association's centenary.
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. Kopa died in Angers on 3 March 2017, at the age of 85.
