Raymond Kopa
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Kopa in 1963 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Raymond Kopa | ||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Raymond Kopaszewski | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 October 1931 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nœux-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 3 March 2017 (aged 85) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward, attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| 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
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 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.
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.