Raymond Kopa, Real Madrid, 1957 European Cup Winners' Medal 'Coupe Des Champions Européens' 1956/7 winners' gold medal presented to Raymond Kopa of Real Madrid 18ct gold, the obverse with raised lettering 'COUPE DES CHAMPIONS EUROPEENS' above raised football and blue and red enamel flag, the loop stamped with assay marks of 'AC' with crossed swords, and eagle's head, the reverse inscribed 'VAINQUEUR 1957' on the reverse, with ring suspension, encapsulated by NGC and graded MS 63 16g, approx. 2 x 4cm Footnotes: 1957 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL OF RAYMOND KOPA - the first Frenchman ever to win this honour and winner of the Ballon d'Or for the same season. He was the first footballer to win his country's highest honour, the Légion d'Honneur. A naturalised French citizen with Polish grandparents and German-born parents, Kopa made his name as an attacking midfielder combining all the attributes of playmaker and striker with individual ball skills of a winger. Stade de Reims, with Kopa playing No. 10, won the 1953 French Championships only twelve months after he joined and secured the Latin Cup - the precursor of the European Cup - that same season. The Club went on to contest the 1956 European final against Real Madrid and, this combined with his eye-catching performance for France against Spain in 1955, made him a target for the Spanish club. He had to be patient for his first appearance as rules limited the number of foreign players; when Alfredo Di Stéfano was granted Spanish citizenship, Kopa was immediately selected to pay alongside him and together they guided Madrid to three consecutive Cup final wins against the top sides from France, Italy and Germany. In 1957 Kopa scored goals in the playoff against Rapid Vienna and in the deciding away leg at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Real went on to win the final against Fiorentina at the Santiago Bernabéu in front of 124,000 fans. Provenance: Mullock Madeley, Football Memorabilia including The Raymond Kopa Collection, 11 April 2001, Lot 607; Budds, 5-6 December 2023, Lot 621; UK private collection. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing