Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa is the kind of footballer I find genuinely inspiring. The son of a Polish mining family, standing only 168 cm, he climbed all the way to Real Madrid's golden side and a Ballon d'Or by outthinking bigger men rather than overpowering them. That triumph of intelligence and craft over physique is what I value most in any athlete. France ultimately honored him with the Legion of Honour, a fitting recognition for someone who turned humble beginnings into greatness. He passed in 2017, but the image of a small man chasing an enormous dream still resonates. A true hero of the game.

Name (English)

Raymond Kopa

Name (Japanese)

レイモン・コパ

Reading

れいもん・こぱ

Born

October 13, 1931 – March 3, 2017

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Libra / Goat

Origin

Nœux-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais, France

Height

168 cm

Occupation

association football player

Awards & achievements

• 2007 Officer of the Legion of Honour
• Ballon d'Or
• 1958 L'Équipe Champion of Champions
• 1970 Knight of the Legion of Honour
• 2010 UEFA President's Award

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond%20Kopa
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%91
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123118

Tags

• Pas-de-Calais
• association football player

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.