Uefa Champions League final countdown: Matt Spiro joined some famous faces at a gala evening to commemorate the first European Cup final.

'Talent is something you've either got or you haven't," states Raymond Kopa, raising a glass of champagne in one hand and gesturing theatrically with the other.

"I was lucky enough to have it. Do you think I became the player I was by training 10 hours a day? Of course I didn't. I never had to worry about training. People today think the key to success is working hard but they're wrong. Natural talent is the most important thing. It always has been."

The France soccer legend is mingling jovially with guests inside the Reims town hall where a gala evening has been organised to commemorate the 50 years that have passed since the first European Cup final between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid.

Nestled in the heart of France's champagne region, 150km east of the capital, Reims is a sleepy town now famous mainly for its beautiful cathedral. But tonight the bubbly is flowing at a faster rate than usual as some of the finest players in the history of the game are reunited, reminiscing about a golden era for soccer.

Kopa is one of several players present from the Reims side beaten 4-3 in that dramatic inaugural final in Paris. Just Fontaine, the legendary French striker, was also on the guest list but, sadly, failed to make the rendezvous. His absence is offset by appearances from Francisco Gento, the former Real winger who has more European Cup winner's medals than anyone, and Real's vice-president Emilio Butragueno.

Reims were France's first great club side. Seven-times domestic champions and twice European Cup finalists, Les Rouges et Blancs dazzled opponents in the 1950s with their famous jeu à la rémoise, a style based on short passing and constant movement that was masterminded by their visionary coach Albert Batteux.

But half a century later much has changed. Reims are floundering in the second division, the former greats have grown old, and not everybody at this grandiose soirée is at ease. "I don't feel comfortable at these reunions," confides Roger Piantoni, once a wonderfully gifted midfielder who starred in France's 1958 World Cup campaign.

One person happy to take centre stage is Kopa. The son of Polish immigrants, Kopaszewski, to give his full name, is now 75 but has aged well. Regarded as one of France's three greatest players alongside Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, the former attacker is a diminutive man whose tanned face and neatly parted hair give him a graceful air. But while the first-ever Ballon d'Or winner was elegance personified on the pitch, he is not renowned for his modesty off it.

Kopa switched camps after the 1956 final, joining Real where he formed a magical attacking quartet with Gento, Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano, and the man nicknamed Napoleon won the European Cup for the next three years.

"In some ways I count myself lucky that Real beat Reims in 1956. Otherwise they wouldn't have been in the competition the following year and I might not have ended up with three winner's medals," Kopa chuckles.

Former Reims defenders Simon Zimny and Michel Leblond struggle to see the funny side. But Kopa, who later auctioned off his medals to ensure a more comfortable retirement in Corsica, is moving on and soon he has his arm around an old friend Gento.

Posing for photographs in front of the new Champions League trophy, the pair seem genuinely pleased to have renewed acquaintances. "This man was the fastest player I've ever seen," Kopa says of the now portly and bespectacled Spaniard. "He used to tire defenders out so much it made life easy for me, Puskas and Di Stefano."

Left-winger Gento, who, incredibly, won six of the eight European Cup finals he featured in, is soon returning the compliments. "Kopa could run around opponents all day long," he says. "It was a pleasure to have him playing with us at Real Madrid."

Away from crowds, French veterans Dominique Colonna, Armand Penverne, Leblond and Zimny are cheerily wiling away the hours talking shop. How Reims lost in 1956, why the club slipped into permanent decline and how the modern game compares with yesteryear are among the topics up for discussion.

Reims led Real 2-0 ten minutes into that historical match at the Parc des Princes and, having been pegged back to 2-2, re-took the lead shortly after the hour. But with Di Stefano in masterful form, Real hit back to seal the first of five consecutive triumphs. "Reims were a fantastic side but defending wasn't our strong point," remembers Leblond, who scored the opening goal.

Former France goalkeeper Colonna played for Reims when they lost 2-0 to Real again in the final three years later. He takes a philosophical view, saying: "We were simply unfortunate to be around at the same time as that remarkable Real team. We each had wonderful players but when it really mattered Real would raise their game to levels we couldn't reach."

Colonna, a warm, engaging man, becomes increasingly animated as he wades nostalgically through the past. "It was such an exciting era," he says. "The European Cup was just beginning, the games were full of goals, and Reims were the best team in France. Our theory was that if the opposition didn't have the ball they couldn't hurt us. We used to keep possession for minutes at a time."

Asked to compare Reims with a club from the modern era, Colonna offers a considered response. "Two years ago I'd have said such a comparison isn't possible. But recently I've noticed that the new Arsenal team is similar to Reims. The problem with soccer nowadays is that coaches pick physical players ahead of technical players, but Arsene Wenger doesn't share that philosophy."

Colonna's observation prompts several nods of agreement. Penverne, a Reims midfielder for 13 years, reveals he was growing disillusioned with soccer because of rising levels of gamesmanship and foul play.

"Football had become purely a physical battle. In the rules it says you're allowed to challenge a player shoulder to shoulder. Nowhere does it say you can pull his shirt, put your arm on his shoulder or kick his heels," he grumbles.

But Penverne has taken heart from Arsenal's quarter-final victory over Juventus, and is now hoping that football might be ready to turn a full circle. "For me that match was symbolic," he explains. "Juventus tried everything to destabilise Arsenal but Arsenal were too fast and too skilful. In the end the Italians finished as losers with just nine men on the pitch."

The majority of the former Reims players will be supporting Arsenal against Barcelona at the Stade de France on Wednesday. Not only because of the Gunners' French connection, and not only because Robert Pires was born in Reims and started his career there. But also because 50 years after the red-and-white shirts of Reims thrilled a Paris crowd in the first-ever final, a host of memories are likely to come flooding back.

If this year's showpiece matches the excitement of 1956, it promises to be another unforgettable night.