Kopa deprived of the 1958 World Cup, the Blues lose their star No 10

Raymond Kopa was left out of the French national team for the 1958 World Cup, depriving France of its star number 10 as the side prepared to face Brazil and West Germany. His absence was criticised in the press, but director Paul Nicolas remained firm.

A brilliant career before the exclusion

Kopa, the star player of Stade de Reims between 1951 and 1956, had already won four French championships. In 1956, he joined Real Madrid, a club built by Santiago Bernabéu, where he shared the pitch with Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskas. Over three seasons, he secured two Liga titles and three European Cup championships, but this success came at the expense of his international career.

Before Michel Platini and Zinédine Zidane, two exceptional number 10s who led the French team to Euro 1984, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, Kopa had already taken France to third place at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. The tricolour side was then beaten by Pelé’s Brazil in the semi‑finals (5‑2) before defeating West Germany (6‑3).

Consequences and recognition

Without Kopa, the French side could only rely on players from the domestic league, which limited their attacking options. Despite missing the qualifiers, Kopa was crowned the France Football Ballon d’Or in its third edition, after Stanley Matthews and Alfredo Di Stéfano. Just Fontaine, for his part, finished as the tournament’s top scorer with thirteen goals.

Platini would become, twenty‑five years later, the second French Ballon d’Or winner, following in Kopa’s footsteps. The feats of these number 10s have marked French football history, underscoring the crucial role Kopa played before the Platini‑Zidane era.

Director Albert Batteux, then coach of the great Stade de Reims, tried to build his team around the talented playmaker, but Nicolas’s decision sealed Kopa’s fate for the tournament.