Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa

Kopa in 1963
Personal information
Full name	Raymond Kopa
Birth name	Raymond Kopaszewski[1]
Date of birth	(1931-10-13)13 October 1931[1]
Place of birth	Nœux-les-Mines, France[1]
Date of death	3 March 2017(2017-03-03) (aged 85)
Place of death	Angers, France
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s)	Forward
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 Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup 1958
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski;^[2] 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.

Kopa was a forward who was quick, agile and known for his dribbling, playmaking, and prolific scoring.^[3] In 1958, Kopa was awarded the Ballon d'Or. 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.