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
Playing 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)
National team
1948–1964	Finland	37	(7)
Teams managed
1960–1971	HJK Helsinki
1975–1978	Finland
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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. He also worked as national coach from 1975 to 1978. He was chosen Finland's Player of the Year in 1949, 1950, and 1952.[5]

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

References

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. 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.