13 Facts About Paul Nicolas

Paul Nicolas was a French footballer who played as a striker.

Paul Nicolas was part of the France national football teams at the 1920,1924, and 1928 Summer Olympics.

Paul Nicolas was part of the France national football team selection committee.

Paul Nicolas lost his mother at the age of 3, and then his father in 1914.

Paul Nicolas was raised by his mother-in-law together with his brother Henri.

Paul Nicolas began his football career with Saint-Mande Club in 1916.

At the time, center-forwards usually were corpulent, aggressive and impetuous players, but Paul Nicolas revolutionized the way of playing as a forward striker, imposing his talent, his skill with both feet, and intuition to position himself in the right place, thus being described as a "precursor and prototype of the modern striker, scorer at heart but just as altruistic in the last gesture".

Paul Nicolas joined the army around the end of World War I, thus leaving for Paris.

Paul Nicolas helped the club win its fourth Coupe in 1928.

Paul Nicolas played in 44 matches for the France national team between 1920 and 1921, scoring a then national record of 20 goals.

Paul Nicolas participated in the football tournaments of three Olympic games, scoring a total of four goals in five games, including one against Uruguay, which was the best team at the time.

In 1919, Paul Nicolas took part in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris, a large sports competition organized in celebration of the Allied victory in World War I, since he was a member of the military.

On his return from a disputed France-Belgium match in 1959 in Colombes, Paul Nicolas was the victim of a terrible car accident that cost him his life.