Raymond Kopa vs Hakan Şükür: Stats Compared
Forward, France (born 1931, retired 1967) · Striker, Turkey (born 1971, retired 2008)
Ask any fan to rank Raymond Kopa above or below Hakan Şükür and you will get a passionate answer. Beyond the numbers, each man brought a singular aesthetic to the pitch. By the end Raymond Kopa had 150 goals from 450 caps and club outings; Hakan Şükür had 320 from 600. Modern assist data only covers part of their careers, so creativity is hard to compare cleanly — Raymond Kopa is listed at 0 and Hakan Şükür at 60 where figures survive. The honours ledger favours Raymond Kopa with 5 major trophies (3× European Cup (1957, 1958, 1959)) against Hakan Şükür's 8 (1× UEFA Cup (2000)). Stylistically Raymond Kopa was clinical where Hakan Şükür was predatory — two vocabularies of the same sport. The wider career context matters too: Raymond Kopa peaked around 1958 after representing Angers, Reims, Real Madrid, Reims, while Hakan Şükür's defining level came around 2000 across Sakaryaspor, Galatasaray, Torino, Galatasaray, Parma, Galatasaray, Blackburn Rovers, Galatasaray. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
169 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
France's first football superstar and 1958 Ballon d'Or winner, Kopa won three straight European Cups alongside Di Stéfano at Real Madrid before returning to lead Reims.
“A diminutive, dazzling dribbler and creator whose vision and close control made him the conductor of every attack he played in.”
Turkey's all-time leading goalscorer and captain of Galatasaray's historic 2000 UEFA Cup triumph, Şükür scored the fastest goal in World Cup history in 2002.
“A sharp, physically strong striker whose clinical finishing led Galatasaray's rise to continental success.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 3× European Cup (1957, 1958, 1959)
- 2× Ligue 1 (1953, 1960)
- 1× UEFA Cup (2000)
- 1× UEFA Super Cup (2000)
- 6× Süper Lig (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1949 Professional debut for Angers
- 1957 Won European Cup with Real Madrid
- 1953 Won Ligue 1 with Reims
- 1958 Reached the peak of his powers at Real Madrid
- 1967 Retired after a final spell at Reims
- Finished his career with 150 goals in 450 appearances and 5 major honours. Finished his career with 150 goals in 450 appearances and 5 major honours.
- 1988 Professional debut for Sakaryaspor
- 2000 Won UEFA Cup with Galatasaray
- 1993 Won Süper Lig with Galatasaray
- 2000 Reached the peak of his powers at Galatasaray
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Galatasaray
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 600 appearances and 8 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 600 appearances and 8 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Hakan Şükür edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a sharper goalscoring record.
Hakan Şükür edges it (a decisive margin)
