| His full name is Raymond Kopaszewski. Raymond | | | | Kopa was chosen as the Best Player of the 1958 |
| Kopa was on October 13, 1931 in Nux-les-Mines, | | | | FIFA World Cup in Sweden and retroactively as the |
| Pas-de-Calais France. He is an ex-French soccer | | | | 1954 Best Young Player of the Tournament became |
| player. Kopa's playing position in the field is as | | | | the solitary football player to collect both credits. In |
| Attacking midfielder, striker. He was at the core of the | | | | March 2004 Pelé included him as one of the top 125 |
| national squad of French in the 1950s. Kopa was a | | | | greatest living soccer players. |
| notable and flexible playmaker who made many goals | | | | For his career as a professional soccer player, |
| as well. | | | | Raymond Kopa collected many honors and |
| In club level he played for senior clubs of Angers SCO | | | | achievements. And some of them include French |
| in 1949-1951, Stade Reims in 1951-1956, Real Madrid in | | | | League (1953, 1955, 1960 and 1962 with Stade Reims), |
| 1956-1959, and Stade Reims in 1959-1967. | | | | Spanish League (1957 and 1958 with Real Madrid), |
| Raymond Kopa was just five feet six tall (169 cms). | | | | French second division (1966 with Stade Reims), |
| But his skillfulness of creative attacking midfield rapidly | | | | European Cup (1957, 1958 and 1959 with Real Madrid), |
| proved him as one of the most talented and flexible | | | | Latin Cup (1953 with Stade Reims and 1957 with Real |
| soccer players of France. Kopa's goal scoring from | | | | Madrid), FIFA World Cup (third place 1958 with France), |
| midfield will be always extraordinary. | | | | Golden Ball (1958, and Légion d'honneur (30 |
| Kopa made 18 goals in 45 matches between 1952 and | | | | November 1970). |
| 1962 along with the national soccer side of France. | | | | |