Raymond Kopa, first French player to win the Ballon d’Or, dies aged 85

Raymond Kopa, a former Real Madrid attacking midfielder who became the first French player to win the Ballon d’Or, has died. He was 85.

A graceful player with a magnificent eye for passing, Kopa won the Ballon d’Or in 1958, when he reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Sweden and helped Real win their third European Cup in a row, the second of his three.

Kopa, the son of Polish immigrants, started with Angers before joining Reims, the club where he spent most of his career. He played 45 times for France, scoring 18 goals.

Noël Le Graët, the president of the French football federation, said in a statement: “The passing of Raymond Kopa plunges the federation into immense sadness. It’s a terrible loss for French football. Raymond Kopa is among the legends. He was a symbolic player and a forerunner. His career with his clubs, as with the France team, was exceptional.

“Everyone has and will keep in their memory his exploits which will remain unequalled. He was a player and a man of unique class. I send my most sincere condolences to his family and friends.”

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Kopa played against Real for Reims in the inaugural European Cup final in 1956 and joined the Spanish giants that summer. He then played in three further finals for Real, with the last of them coming against Reims in 1959.

He returned to the French club at the end of the season, winning his third and fourth Ligue 1 titles in 1960 and 1962, and remained with them until his retirement in 1967.