Biography

Coppens is also known for the invention of the penalty kick in threes. During a preliminary round match in 1957 against Iceland, Belgium was leading 4-0 when Rik Coppens had to take a penalty kick. In a reflex he got the inspiration not to shoot the ball directly, but to pass to his teammate André Piters. He in turn passed the ball back to Coppens, who was able to shoot the ball into the empty goal. In all, between 1949 and 1959 he played 47 games for Belgium, scoring 21 goals.

Coppens drew full stadiums and was a real crowd player. He could drive defenders crazy and humiliate opponents time and time again with his passing moves. Coppens entertained the crowd: he scored with his heel and before taking a penalty kick indicated the corner in which he would place it.

He is remembered as the inventor of the " two-touch penalty " , which had few followers: Johan Cruyff with Jesper Olsen, Lionel Messi with Luis Suárez, while, in Italy, the primacy is held by the twins Marco and Mario Piga.

He made his national debut on March 13, 1949, starting the friendly match against the Netherlands.

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).