René RAPHY

René Raphy was a midfielder, born in the Val-de-Marne region near Paris. Nicknamed the "Small Cockerel", he began playing football with Union Sportive Suisse de Paris in the youngest section of the youth team. In 1938, he was recruited by CA Paris, turning professional at the age of 17, and he would be a regular on the left flank there. During the break for the Second World War, and the pause in the French Championship, he would link up the Federal team covering Paris and Ile-de-France, and then signed for Stade Français in the Northern Group of the First Division. In 1945, he joined Stade Rennais, but would play few games at the start of the season. He would progressively gain some more gametime, making some appearances in attack or in midfield with the Red and Blacks. He would go on to make 17 appearances, scoring once - on Matchday 14 in the First Division season - against Saint-Etienne. It would prove to be his lone season at Rennes, leaving the club for SCO Angers, playing in the Second Division, who would just miss out in its quest to gain promotion to the top flight. His best season would come in 1947/1948, when he signed for Nice, and went on to win the Second Division title. Despite that success, Nice chose to offload a fair percentage of the squad in the close season, and Raphy was loaned out to San Remo in the Italian Third Division. He would remain in Italy, thereafter, joining Pistoia in the second tier of Italian football. After his Italian stay came to an end, he moved on to Spain, signing for Real Murcia, where he would bring an end to his playing career between 1950 and 1953. After hanging up his boots, he returned home to France, where he became a gym instructor, whilst managing a youth team at Cavigal on the South Coast in the Côte d'Azur. After a successful spell in coaching, he returned to Nice to coach their youth teams.