Aulis Rytkönen

Aulis Rytkönen in the late 1940s

Taavi Aulis Rytkönen ( born January 5, 1929 in Karttula ) is a retired Finnish football player and coach. Rytkönen was the first Finnish professional football player in 1952 when he signed a contract with the then French second division club Toulouse FC signed.

Career

Aulis Rytkönen played in 1941 as a teenager at TUL Club Kuopion Työväen Urheilijat. In 1945, he was 16 -year-old made ​​his debut with the assets for the second division Kuopion Palloseura. Until 1952, he played with this club and from 1949 also in the top league, the Mestaruussarja. He was on the Olympic team in 1952 at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where the hosts at the single game almost defeated in the second round against Austria with 3:4. Rytkönen scored the intermediate 3:2 for Finland in this game. This one had noticed him abroad, and in 1952 he came to France for the Division 2 club Toulouse FC. He signed a contract and became the first Finnish professional football player in history. In his first season for Toulouse Rytkönen completed 14 games and scored nine goals. Toulouse reached the summit and Rytkönen played from now on in the first French league. In the 1954/55 season was Toulouse runner-up and 1957 he succeeded with this team winning the French Cup. Until 1960, " Monsieur magic", as he was now called, to 120 League Appearances for Toulouse. He returned at the age of 31 years back to Finland and signed at the capital club HJK Helsinki as player-coach. Here he remained until his career to the end of 1966. 1969, he completed 40 -year-old again a game for HJK and thereby scored a goal.

Rytkönen denied 1948-1964 37 appearances for the Finnish national team and scored seven goals for this.

As a coach he assumed in 1960 HJK Helsinki. He remained until 1971 HJK coach. From 1973 to 1975 Rytkönen was coach of the women's team HJK. In 1975, he was both coach of HJK - Men team as well as the Finnish national team. 1981 and 1982 he coached before he Tikkurilan Palloseura to 1996 more times coached the women's soccer team HJK Helsinki from 1984 to 1988 and 1991 and from 1995.

Title

All Finnish title he won with HJK Helsinki, except where noted. Titles which he won as a player-coach in italics.

As a player

  • Finnish Champion: 1964
  • Finnish runner-up: 1950 ( with KuPS ), 1965, 1966
  • Finnish Cup Winners: 1966
  • French runners-up: 1955
  • French Cup Winners: 1957

As a coach

Men's Football

  • Finnish Champion: 1964, 1978
  • Finnish runner-up: 1965, 1966
  • Finnish Cup Winners: 1966

Women's Soccer

  • Finnish Champion: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1996

Awards and honors

  • Footballer of the Year in Finland (journalists selection): 1949, 1950 and 1952
  • In 2010 the municipal council of Kuopio, a road to Aulis decided to appoint Rytkönen.
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