Raymond Kopa

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Raymond Kopa
Personal information
Full nameRaymond Kopaszewski
Date of birth (1931-10-13) 13 October 1931
Place of birthNœux-les-Mines, France
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionAttacking midfielder
Youth career
1941–1949US Nœux-les-Mines
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1949–1951Angers60(15)
1951–1956Stade Reims158(48)
1956–1959Real Madrid79(24)
1959–1967Stade Reims244(36)
Total541(123)
National team
1952–1962France45(18)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Raymond Kopa (French pronunciation: ​[rɛmɔ̃ kɔˈpa]; born Kopaszewski, on 13 October 1931 in Nœux-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais) is a former French football attacking midfielder, integral to the French national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three European Cups.

Often considered one of leading players of his generation, Kopa was a free-role playmaker who was quick, agile and known for his love of dribbling. He was also a renowned playmaker, as well as a prolific scorer.[1] In 1958, Kopa was named the European Footballer of the Year. In 1970 he became the first football player to receive the Légion d'honneur, and in 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.[2]

Football career

Born into a family of Polish immigrants,[3] Kopa began his professional career at the age of 17 with SCO Angers in Ligue 2 and was transferred two years later to Stade de Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955. He helped Reims reach the first European Cup final in 1956, which the team lost to Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid, 4–3.

Kopa was transferred to Real Madrid the subsequent season, where he was soon joined by Ferenc Puskás. Despite playing as an Inside Right, (Playing as the no.10 is his usual position) Kopa's time at Real Madrid was extremely successful as he helped the club to three successive European cup victories, being incredibly influential in the Spanish capital. Playing with the Spanish giants, Kopa won the Spanish league 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 last against former side Stade de Reims, where Just Fontaine played.

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 given the Ballon d'or by France Football in 1958.

With the France national football team, Kopa scored 18 goals in 45 games between 1952 and 1962. He played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, where Kopa performed outstandingly and was one of the players of the tournament, scoring 3 goals along the way as he led France to the Semi-Finals where the national team succumbed to an extremely strong Brazil team. The French team finished third in the tournament.

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

Achievements

  • French League: 1953, 1955, 1960 and 1962 with Stade Reims
  • Spanish League: 1957 and 1958 with Real Madrid
  • French second division: 1966 with Stade Reims
  • European Cup: 1957, 1958 and 1959 with Real Madrid; runner-up 1956 with Stade Reims
  • Latin Cup: 1953 with Stade Reims and 1957 with Real Madrid; runner-up 1955 with Stade Reims
  • FIFA World Cup: third place 1958 with France
  • Golden Ball: 1958
  • Légion d'honneur: 30 November 1970 (first footballer to hold it)

Career statistics

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 11 November 1952 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Northern Ireland 3–1 Win Friendly
2. 11 November 1952 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Northern Ireland 3–1 Win Friendly
3. 14 May 1953 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Wales 6–1 Win Friendly
4. 14 May 1953 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Wales 6–1 Win Friendly
5. 20 September 1953 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 1–6 Win 1954 FIFA World Cup Q.
6. 30 May 1954 Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium  Belgium 3–3 Draw Friendly
7. 19 June 1954 Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland  Mexico 3–2 Win 1954 FIFA World Cup
8. 11 November 1954 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Belgium 2–2 Draw Friendly
9. 11 November 1954 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  Belgium 2–2 Draw Friendly
10. 17 March 1955 Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain  Spain 1–2 Win Friendly
11. 15 May 1955 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, France  England 1–0 Win Friendly
12. 9 October 1955 St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland   Switzerland 1–2 Win Friendly
13. 23 October 1955 Dinamo Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Soviet Union 2–2 Draw Friendly
14. 8 June 1958 Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden  Paraguay 7–3 Win 1958 FIFA World Cup
15. 15 June 1958 Eyravallen, Örebro, Sweden  Scotland 2–1 Win 1958 FIFA World Cup
16. 26 June 1958 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  West Germany 3–6 Win 1958 FIFA World Cup
17. 1 October 1958 Parc des Princes, Paris, France  Greece 7–1 Win UEFA EURO 1960
18. 27 March 1960 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria  Austria 2–4 Win UEFA EURO 1960
Correct as of 13 January 2013[4]

National team statistics

[5]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
1949–50AngersSecond Division
1950–51
1951–52Stade ReimsFrench League338
1952–533313
1953–543111
1954–553111
1955–56305
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa de España Europe Total
1956–57Real MadridSpanish League22600--82308
1957–5827800--733411
1958–59301000--713711
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
1959–60Stade ReimsFrench League3614
1960–61305
1961–62302
1962–63341
1963–64255
1964–65Division 2293
1965–66273
1966–67French League333
Total France 46299
Spain 792400--22610130
Career total 541123
France national team
YearAppsGoals
195252
195363
195464
195564
195610
195700
195874
195940
196031
196130
196240
Total4518

References

  1. ↑ http://www.xtratime.org/forum/showthread.php?t=246965
  2. ↑ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013. 
  3. ↑ Braun, Didier. "L’Équipe de France de football, c'est l'histoire en raccourci d'un siecle d'immigration". L'Équipe. Retrieved 15 August 2009. 
  4. ↑ Football PLAYER: Raymond Kopa
  5. ↑ Raymond Kopa at National-Football-Teams.com

External links

Preceded by
Alfredo di Stéfano		 European Footballer of the Year
1958 		Succeeded by
Alfredo di Stéfano

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