A sad day for French football.
Raymond Kopa, birth nameRaymond Kopaszewski, one of the first French football legends, passed away on Fridayat the age of 85.
Most of you weren't even born when he used to play -some of you might know his name from all the Real Madrid legends events he was always invited to -but Raymond Kopa put a real mark onthe history of football.
(Real Madrid's first Galacticos: Raymond Kopa,José Hector Rial Laguia, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Francisco Gento, 1959)
A legend of Stade de Reims' golden age, who he won the French league four times and was a Champions League runner-up in 1956 with them, he's mainly remembered for having been in the very first generation of Galacticos at Real Madrid.
WithFerenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stefano, he formed the 1950s version of the "BBC", winning three of Real Madrid'sfive first European trophies in 1957, 1958 and 1959.
Raymond Kopa, légende du foot français, est décédé : https://t.co/KgeaKlEnJP pic.twitter.com/XFNX33h5ib
He was also the thirdBallon d'Or winner in history, winning the award in 1958 after a World Cup in which Just Fontaine scored 13 goals - and even with his compatriot's exploits,Kopa ended up being awarded best player of the tournament.
Nicknamed the Napoleon of Football, Kopa was (and is still) considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.