Aulis Rytkönen

Taavi Aulis Rytkönen (5 January 1929 – 16 April 2014) was a Finnish footballer.[1] He became the country's first professional player when he signed for France's Toulouse FC in 1952.

Aulis Rytkönen
Personal information
Date of birth (1929-01-05)5 January 1929
Place of birth Karttula, Finland
Date of death 16 April 2014(2014-04-16) (aged 85)
Place of death Helsinki, Finland
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
–1945 Kuopion työväen urheilijat
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1945–1952 KuPS 126 (66)
1952–1960 Toulouse 120 (33)
1960–1966 HJK Helsinki 85 (28)
International career
1948–1964 Finland 37 (7)
Managerial career
1960–1971 HJK Helsinki
1975–1978 Finland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In total Rytkönen spent eight seasons (1952–1960) in France, winning the French Cup in 1957. A forward, he started his career in Finland with KuPS Kuopio in 1945,[2] and after returning from France he worked as player-coach of HJK Helsinki 1960–1966 and as coach 1967–1971.[3]

Rytkönen earned 37 caps for the Finnish national team, scoring seven goals.[4] He played for Finland at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.[5] He also worked as national coach from 1975 to 1978. He was chosen Finland's Player of the Year in 1949, 1950, and 1952.[6]

Aulis Rytkönen Street in Kuopio. Kuopion keskuskenttä in the background.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aulis Rytkönen.
  1. "Finland mourns pioneering striker Rytkönen". UEFA.com. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  2. KuPS - Kuopion Palloseura Oy Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Veikkausliiga | Aulis Rytkönen 80 vuotta Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Finland - International Player Records
  5. "Aulis Rytkönen". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  6. Finland - Player of the Year Awards
  • Barreaud, Marc (1998). Dictionnaire des footballeurs étrangers du championnat professionnel français (1932–1997). L'Harmattan, Paris. ISBN 2-7384-6608-7.
  • Alaja, Erkki (2009). Monsieur magic, Aulis Rytkönen. Teos, Helsinki. ISBN 978-951-851-185-7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.