There are many ramparts and towers in Angers, as well as slate, limestone, castles and a cathedral. There are gardens, several historic buildings and walks to enjoy.
Then there are medieval tapestries – Angers being the home of the Apocalypse tapestry one of the world’s finest.
Known as Juliomagus under the Romans Angers was one of the cradles of the Plantagenet dynasty.
The city’s most symbolic monument – a massive moated chateau with 17 towers – was built in 1230 and it houses that late 14th century Tapestry of the Apocalypse.
Then there is a football club.
Angers Sporting Club de l’Ouest, commonly referred to as Angers SCO or simply Angers are a professional football club based in the Pays de la Loire region of NW France.
They were created under the impetus of the Fortin brothers who were directors of the Crédit de l’Ouest bank. The club took the name of Sporting Club du Crédit de l’Ouest then became Sporting Club de l’Ouest then Angers SCO.
The first official match was in 1919 against the Stade Nantes Université Club.
The young Raymond Kopa began his professional career with the SCO towards the tail end of the 1940’s.
During the team’s history, they have bounced between the top two tiers of French football on multiple occasions.
A drop to the third tier was also experienced.
Angers play at the Stade Raymond Kopa located some 30 minutes from the historic center of the city.
The stadium is named after Raymond Kopa, who, after playing for Angers from 1949 to 1951, became one of the most prominent players of his era.
It was previously named Stade Bessonneau from 1912 to 1957; Stade Municipal from 1957 to 1968 and the Stade Jean-Bouin from 1968 to 2017.
That it was Stade de Reims that had came calling made this such a special night.
Kopa began his professional career at age 17 with Angers in Ligue 2 but was transferred two years later to Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955.
He then helped them reach the 1956 European Cup Final, which the team lost to Alfredo Di Stéfano’s Real Madrid whom he would later play football for after signing before the 1956-57 season.
In the 1959–60 season, Kopa returned to France to finish his career with Reims, where he won further titles in 1960 and 1962 as was as the Ballon d’Or.
It had been early February 2020 when this clash was played.
The global nightmare of Covid 19 was barely mentioned on television news outside of Asia. In Syria the war was still ongoing.
Outside the stadium the name of Raymond Kopa is emblazoned across the stadium gates.
Reims scored four goals each one the great Frenchman would surely have been proud of on a rainy cold night.
By full time the sound of defeat lingered around the stadium long after the final whistle. It did not help that one side of the stadium was under reconstruction leaving the stadium was both an empty and unfinished feel.