 Stopyra appeared for France at the 1986 World Cup.Born in Troyes, Aube of Polish ancestry, Stopyra spent 15 of his 17 seasons as a professional in Ligue 1, representing FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, Stade Rennais FC, Toulouse FC, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, AS Cannes and FC Metz.He made his senior debut with the former at only 17, helping it to the second position in the domestic championship in 1979–80 and the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the following campaign.