Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa, born Raymond Kopaszewski on October 13, 1931 in Noeux-les-Mines, in northern France, son of Polish immigrants, is considered the greatest French player of the first half of the twentieth century and the only Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or before Platini. A serious hand injury during childhood prevented him from working in the coal mines like his father, directing his destiny toward football. He began his career at RC Lens before transferring to Stade de Reims, where he became a star of European football. With Reims, he participated in two European Cup finals (1956 and 1959), both lost to Real Madrid. In 1956, he was acquired by the Spanish club that had defeated him in the final — a historic transfer. At Real Madrid, Kopa won three consecutive European Cups (1957, 1958 and 1959) alongside Di Stéfano, Gento and Puskas. In 1958, at the World Cup in Sweden, he was the great name of France, which finished in third place — France's best result at that time. That same year, he received the Ballon d'Or. After returning to Stade de Reims in 1959, he ended his career at the club where he had made his breakthrough. Raymond Kopa died on March 3, 2017, in Angers, France, at 85 years old, being eternally honored as one of the greatest icons of French football.