Henri Coppens

Rik Coppens

Personal information
Full name	Henri François Louis Coppens
Date of birth	(1930-04-29)29 April 1930
Place of birth	Antwerp, Belgium
Date of death	5 February 2015(2015-02-05) (aged 84)
Place of death	Wilrijk, Belgium
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1946–1961	K. Beerschot V.A.C.	389	(261)
1961–1962	Olympique Charleroi	27	(3)
1962–1967	Royal Crossing Club Molenbeek	121	(32)
1967–1969	Berchem Sport	45	(8)
1969–1970	Tubantia Borgerhout VK
Total		555	(301)
National team
1949–1959	Belgium	47	(21)
Teams managed
1971–1974	Berchem Sport
1974–1978	K. Beerschot V.A.C.
1978–1981	Berchem Sport
1981–1982	Club Brugge
1982–1984	K. Beerschot V.A.C.
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Henri 'Rik' François Louis Coppens (29 April 1930 – 5 February 2015) was a Belgian footballer. He played as a striker. He played 389 games and scored 261 goals for Beerschot AC. Coppens won the first Belgian Golden Shoe in 1954.

For many he's unknown but for others he's the famous creator of the 'Johan Cruyff' penalty.

Creation of the 'Johan Cruyff' penalty

5 June, 1957, Belgium was facing Iceland in a World Cup Qualification match. The match started perfectly for Les Diables Rouges who soon were leading the game by a ludicrous 6-1 against a weak and pretty much unknown adversary who still had to face over forty-five minutes of pain.

In the 44th minute of the game, near the end of the first-half, referee whistles for what would be one of the best penalties of the entire history. 'Rik' Coppens was the one chosen to be the executioner of it but instead of shooting directly to the net, he passed to his teammate André Piters who shot for the 7-1. The game didn't ended there, the second half was open for more goals, specially for Iceland, but were not enough to change a sure winner since it ended with a magnificent 8-3 and with a penalty that changed an entire nation of football lovers since then.

This particular way of scoring a penalty, the two-man penalty, was remade by many over the years, and even failed by many like Thierry Henry and Robert Pirès[1], but when someone talks about this particular style of scoring there is one name that immediately pops up – Johan Cruyff. A player who, with the help of his teammate Jasper Olsen, when both were players of Ajax, scored one of this amazing penalties against Helmond Sport.

Cruyff passed the ball to Jasper who then passed it back to a magnificent and cruel finish that many will remember for years.[2]

Late years

After his career as a player, he became a coach with Tubantia Borgerhout (1970-1971), Berchem (1971-1974 and 1977-1981), Beerschot (1974-1977 and 1981-1984) and Club Brugge (1981).