Lucien Muller (3 September 1934 – 20 January 2026) was a French football player and manager who played as an inside forward and later as a midfielder.
Career Born in Bischwiller, Muller started out in Alsace, his native region, and then made a name for himself with the Stade de Reims, that he was twice crowned French champion. He then moved to Real Madrid replacing Luis del Sol, where he appeared in the European Cup final in 1964 where he was the best player. He won the league three times with Real Madrid. In 1965 he moved to FC Barcelona, becoming the first French player to play for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. There he won the 1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 1967–68 Copa del Generalísimo. Although he was touted as the successor to Raymond Kopa (and was nicknamed "Little Kopa"), his performances in the French kit never matched his club performances. He was nevertheless part of the French team that participated in the 1966 FIFA World Cup but did not play. He scored 3 goals in 16 games for France. He returned to Reims, where he ended his career.
He briefly returned to Barcelona as a coach in the late 1970s, leading the club to the European Cup Winners' Cup Final, before being replaced by Joaquim Rifé. He later trained AS Monaco, RCD Mallorca and CD Castellón. He won the 1984–85 Coupe de France with AS Monaco.
Death Muller died on 20 January 2026, at the age of 91.
References
External links Racing Club de Strasbourg profile FFF profile