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

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.