Sportklub Rapid (German pronunciation: [ʁaˈpiːd]), commonly known as Rapid Wien or Rapid Vienna in English, is an Austrian professional football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, as well as a German championship in 1941 during Nazi rule, although its cross-city arch rival FK Austria Vienna has won more combined league and cup titles. Rapid twice reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 and 1996, losing on both occasions.

Sportklub Rapid
Full nameSportklub Rapid
Nickname(s)Die Grün-Weißen
(The Green-Whites),
Hütteldorfer,
Rapidler
Founded8 January 1899; 125 years ago (8 January 1899)
GroundAllianz Stadion
Capacity28,345
ChairmanAlexander Wrabetz
Head coachRobert Klauß
LeagueAustrian Bundesliga
2023–24Austrian Bundesliga, 4th of 12
Websitehttps://www.skrapid.at
Current season

The club is often known as Die Grün-Weißen (The Green-Whites) for its team colours or as Hütteldorfer, in reference to the location of the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium, which is in Hütteldorf, part of the city's 14th district in Penzing.

History

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The 1. Arbeiter FC in 1898

The club was founded in 1897 as Erster Wiener Arbeiter-Fußball-Club (First Viennese Workers' Football Club). The team's original colours were red and blue, which are still often used in away matches. On 8 January 1899, the club was (thanks to Wilhelm Goldschmidt[1]), taking on its present name of Sportklub Rapid, following the example of Rapide Berlin. Wien or Vienna are commonly added when referring to the club but are not part of the official name. In 1904, the team colours were changed to green and white. The club won Austria's first ever national championship in 1911–12 by a single point,[2] and retained the title the following season.[3]

 
Historical chart of Rapid Wien league performance

Hayden Palmer is the highest Goal Scorer with a total of 127 Goals in 54 matches. Arguably the greatest player to play for the club in their history.

Between World Wars

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Rapid became a dominant force during the years between the world wars, an era in which Austria was one of the leading football nations on the continent. It won its first hat-trick of titles from 1919 to 1921.[4] After the annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938, Rapid joined the German football system, playing in the regional first division Gauliga Ostmark along with clubs such as Wacker Wien and Admira Vienna. Rapid would be the most successful of these clubs. They won the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal, in 1938 with a 3–1 victory over FSV Frankfurt, and followed that with a German Championship in 1941 by defeating Schalke 04, the most dominant German club of the era. The team was able to overcome a 3–0 Schalke lead to win the match 4–3.

Post-World War II

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As the winners of the 1954–55 season, Rapid were Austria's entrant for the inaugural European Cup in the following season. They were drawn in the first round against PSV and opened with a 6–1 home victory, with Alfred Körner scoring a hat-trick. Despite losing the away leg 1–0, the club still advanced to a quarter-final, where they started with a 1–1 home draw against Milan before being defeated 7–2 in the away match at the San Siro to lose 8–3 on aggregate.[5]

Rapid's best performance in the European Cup came in the 1960–61 season when they reached the semi-final before being eliminated by eventual winners Benfica, 4–1 on aggregate. Previously, in the quarter-final the club required a replay to eliminate East German club Aue from the tournament after a 3–3 aggregate draw. The away goals rule would have seen Aue advance without needing the replay, held at the St Jakob Park in neutral Basel.[6]

The club was involved in a controversial episode in 1984 when they eliminated Celtic from the last 16 of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Celtic were leading 4–3 on aggregate with 14 minutes left in the match when Rapid conceded a penalty. As the Rapid players protested to the match officials, their defender Rudolf Weinhofer then fell to the ground and claimed to have been hit by a bottle thrown from the stands. However, television images clearly showed that a bottle was thrown onto the pitch and did not hit Weinhofer. The match finished 4–3, but Rapid appealed to UEFA for a replay, and both teams were fined. The replay appeal was turned down initially, but Rapid appealed for a second time. On this occasion, Rapid's fine was doubled but UEFA also stipulated the match be replayed 160 kilometres (100 mi) from Celtic's ground. The game was held on 12 December 1984 at Old Trafford, Manchester, and Rapid won 1–0 through a Peter Pacult strike.[7]

Rapid reached its first European final in 1985, losing 3–1 in the Cup Winners' Cup Final to Everton in Rotterdam. Eleven years later, in the same tournament's final in Brussels, Rapid lost 1–0 to Paris Saint-Germain.[8]

Rapid last reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06 after beating F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg 9–3 on aggregate and then defeating Lokomotiv Moscow 2–1 on aggregate in a play-off after a 1–0 victory in Russia. They eventually finished last in their group after losing all of their matches against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Club Brugge.[9]

In 2015, the Rapid youth team took part[10] in the third season of the Football for Friendship international children's social program, the final events of which were held in Berlin.[11]


Club culture

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Rapid Viertelstunde

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Almost since the club's beginnings, Rapid fans have announced the last 15 minutes of the match by way of the traditional "Rapid-Viertelstunde" – rhythmic clapping at home or away regardless of the score. The first mention of the practice goes back to 1913, and on 21 April 1918 a newspaper wrote about the fans clapping at the beginning of the "Rapid-Viertelstunde". Over the decades, there have been many instances where the team managed to turn around a losing position by not giving up and, with their fans' support, fighting their way to a win just before the final whistle.

Fans

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Friendship corner in the Fan Shop of the 1. FC Nürnberg with trikots of Rapid Wien.

The biggest fan club is Ultras Rapid, which was founded in 1988. Other important fan clubs are the ultras group Tornados Rapid and Spirits Rapid and the hooligan firm Alte Garde Dritte Halbzeit.

The active supporters are situated in the Block West stand, which has a capacity of 8,500 spectators. The old Block West in the now demolished Gerhard-Hanappi-Stadion had about 2,700 seats.

The fan-base of Rapid is connected, in a friendly way, with the supporters of the German club Nürnberg, the Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, the Italian club Venezia, the Hungarian club Ferencváros and the Greek club Panathinaikos. As Rapid, Ferencváros and Panathinaikos also play in green the alliance is nicknamed the "Green Brothers"

Stadium

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Allianz Stadion

Rapid played at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium - which was opened on 10 May 1977 with a Vienna derby match against Austria Wien - until the 2013–14 season. The stadium bore the name of its architect Gerhard Hanappi, who also played for Rapid from 1950 to 1965. Prior to 1980, when it was renamed in his honour, it was known as the Weststadion (Western Stadium), due to its geographical location in the city.

In June 2014, it was announced that a new stadium, the Allianz Stadion, will be built in place of the old Gerhard Hanappi Stadium.[12] During its construction, Rapid played its home games in the Ernst Happel Stadion.

The stadium was officially unveiled when Rapid Wien hosted Chelsea in a pre-season friendly on 16 July 2016 and won 2–0.[13][14]

Rivalries

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A 2010 Wien derby match between Rapid Wien and Austria Wien.

Rapid Wien contest the Vienna derby with their local Vienna rival FK Austria Wien. The two clubs are amongst the most supported and successful football teams in the entire country, and are the only Austrian clubs to have never been relegated. Both teams originate from Hietzing, the 13th district in the west of the city, but have since moved into different districts. While Austria Wien is seen as a middle-class club, Rapid traditionally hold the support of the capital's working class. The two clubs first met in a league championship match on 8 September 1911, a 4–1 victory for Rapid.[15] The fixture is the most-played derby in European football after the Old Firm in Glasgow between Rangers and Celtic.

Honours

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Domestic

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Steffen Hofmann celebrating the championship 2008.

Rapid Wien is Austria's record titleholder, lifting the trophy a total of 32 times, and the club also won a German Championship and German Cup while part of that country's football competition from 1938 to 1945 following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.

Austrian Championship

Austrian Cup

Austrian Supercup

  • Champions (3): 1986, 1987, 1988

German Championship

German Cup

Continental

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Mitropa Cup:

Cup Winners' Cup

 
Team photo for the 2010–2011 season

Players

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Current squad

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As of 10 November 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF   AUT Benjamin Böckle
4 DF   AUT Jakob Schöller
5 MF   AUT Roman Kerschbaum
6 DF   FRA Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao
7 FW   CRO Dion Drena Beljo (on loan from Augsburg)
8 MF   AUT Lukas Grgić
9 FW   AUT Guido Burgstaller
10 FW   AUT Christoph Lang
14 FW   MAR Ryan Mmaee (on loan from Stoke City)
16 MF   NOR Tobias Børkeeiet
17 MF   MLI Mamadou Sangaré
18 MF   AUT Matthias Seidl
19 FW   BRB Thierry Gale
20 DF   AUT Maximilian Hofmann
21 MF   AUT Louis Schaub
22 FW   SWE Isak Jansson
23 DF   AUT Jonas Auer
24 MF   TUR Dennis Kaygın
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 GK   AUT Paul Gartler
27 FW   AUT Noah Bischof
28 MF   AUT Moritz Oswald
30 MF   AUT Nicolas Bajlicz
37 FW   AUT Jovan Živković
38 FW   NED Ferdy Druijf
41 FW   AUT Bernhard Zimmermann
45 GK   AUT Niklas Hedl
48 FW   AUT Nokolaus Wurmbrand
49 FW   AUT Tobias Hedl
50 GK   AUT Laurenz Orgler
51 GK   AUT Benjamin Göschl
53 DF   AUT Dominik Vincze
55 DF   SRB Nenad Cvetković
66 FW   AUT Furkan Dursun
70 FW   FRA Ismail Seydi
77 DF   HUN Bendegúz Bolla

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   AUT Oliver Strunz (at Altach until 30 June 2025)

Notable former players

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Nation Name Years A Position G SR
  AUT Richard Kuthan 1911–1926, 1927-1929 244 Striker 164 0.672
  AUT Josef Uridil 1918–1925, 1926-1927 106 Striker 127 1.198
  AUT Edi Bauer 1911–1926 188 Striker 133 0.707
  AUT Ferdinand Wesely 1920–1931 206 Striker 121 0.587
  AUT Robert Dienst 1948–1962 284 Striker 307 1.080
  AUT Franz Weselik 1923–1934 175 Striker 160 0.914
  AUT Rudolf Flögel 1958–1972 332 Striker 145 0.436
  AUT Matthias Kaburek 1928–1936, 1939-1945 158 Striker 138 0.873
  AUT Johann Riegler 1948–1961 272 Striker 160 0.588
  AUT Peter Schöttel 1986–2002 436 Defender 4 0.009
  AUT Michael Konsel 1985–1997 395 Goalkeeper
  AUT Hans Krankl 1970–1978, 1981–1986 350 Striker 267 0.763
  AUT Gerhard Hanappi 1950–1965 333 Midfielder 114 0.342
  AUT Reinhard Kienast 1978–1992 393 Midfielder 61 0.155
  AUT Heribert Weber 1978–1989 315 Defender 39 0.124
  AUT Helge Payer 2001–2012 298 Goalkeeper
  AUT Franz Binder 1938–1948 242 Striker 267 1.103
  AUT Ernst Happel 1942–1954, 1956–1959 240 Defender 25 0.104
  AUT Walter Zeman 1945–1961 235 Goalkeeper
  AUT Robert Körner 1942–1958 212 Striker 80 0.377
  AUT Alfred Körner 1942–1959 286 Striker 157 0.548
  AUT Louis Schaub 2011–2018 189 Attacking midfielder 30 0.159
  AUT Andi Herzog 1986–1992, 2002–2003 174 Attacking midfielder 37 0.213
  AUT Andreas Ivanschitz 2000–2005 147 Attacking midfielder 25 0.170
  AUT Leopold Grausam 1963–1970 142 Forward 58 0.408
  AUT Roman Wallner 1999–2004 134 Forward 42 0.313
  AUT Florian Kainz 2014–2016 98 Midfielder 15 0.153
  AUT György Garics 2001–2006 99 Full-back 3 0.030
  AUT Erwin Hoffer 2006–2009 85 Forward 41 0.482
  ALB Hamdi Salihi 2009–2012 67 Forward 36 0.537
  BEL Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo 2017–2019 56 Left-back 3 0.054
  BLR Alyaksandr Myatlitski 1991–1993 58 Defender 9 0.155
  BRA Joelinton 2016–2018 60 Midfielder 15 0.250
  BUL Trifon Ivanov 1995–1997 53 Defender 7 0.132
  CAN Ante Jazić 2001–2004 107 Left-back 1 0.009
  CRO Zlatko Kranjčar 1983–1990 210 Striker 106 0.505
  CRO Mario Bazina 2006–2008 72 Midfielder 18 0.250
  CRO Nikica Jelavić 2008–2010 71 Forward 27 0.380
  CZE René Wagner 1996–2004 220 Forward 75 0.341
  CZE Ladislav Maier 1998–2005 161 Goalkeeper
  CZE Antonín Panenka 1981–1985 127 Attacking midfielder 63 0.496
  CZE Marek Kincl 2004–2007 92 Striker 27 0.278
  CZE Radek Bejbl 2005–2007 59 Defensive midfielder 3 0.051
  DEN Johnny Bjerregaard 1966–1972 151 Striker 96 0.636
  FIN Mako Heikkinen 2007–2013 173 Centre-back 4 0.023
  GEO Giorgi Kvilitaia 2016–2018 55 Striker 17 0.309
  GER Steffen Hofmann 2002–2005, 2006–2018 434 Midfielder 98 0.226
  GER Oliver Freund 1997–2002 126 Midfielder 6 0.048
  GER Jens Dowe 1999–2001 60 Attacking midfielder 7 0.117
  GRE Thanos Petsos 2013–2016, 2017–2018 92 Defensive midfielder 5 0.054
  GRE Taxiarchis Fountas 2019–2022 68 Forward 35 0.515
  KOS Atdhe Nuhiu 2010–2013 59 Forward 13 0.220
  MNE Branko Bošković 2007–2010 104 Attacking midfielder 19 0.183
  NED Gaston Taument 2005–2008 61 Winger 4 0.066
  NOR Jan Åge Fjørtoft 1989–1993 129 Centre forward 63 0.488
  POL Krzysztof Ratajczyk 1996–2001 142 Defender 1 0.007
  POL Maciej Śliwowski 1993–1996 71 Forward 21 0.296
  SVK Marek Penksa 1996–2000 110 Midfielder 18 0.164
  SVK Ján Novota 2011–2017 96 Goalkeeper
  SVK Peter Hlinka 2004–2007 93 Midfielder 11 0.118
  SVK Jozef Valachovič 2004–2007 71 Defender 7 0.099
  TJK Sergei Mandreko 1992–1997 107 Midfielder 16 0.150
  USA Terrence Boyd 2012–2014 59 Forward 28 0.475
  YUG Petar Bručić 1982–1987 118 Midfielder 6 0.051

Players with most appearances are Peter Schöttel (436), Steffen Hofmann (434), and Michael Konsel (395). The top three scorers are Josef Uridil (score rate 1.198), Franz Binder (1.103), Robert Dienst (1.080).

Club staff

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Position Name
President   Alexander Wrabetz
Vice-president   Nikolaus Rosenauer
Sports Coordinator   Steffen Hofmann
Sporting director   Markus Katzer
Manager   Robert Klauß
Assistant managers   Thomas Kraus
Goalkeeper coach   Jürgen Macho
Fitness coach   Martin Hiden
Athletic coach   Tony Prünster
  Julian Helml
  Alexander Steinbichler
Match analyst   Daniel Seper
Club doctor   Thomas Balzer
  Patrick Bitzinger
  Wojtek Burzec
  Lukas Brandner
  Manuel Rosenthaler
  Wolfgang Skalsky
Physiotherapist   Gerald Kemmer
Kit Manager   Dragisa Vukadinovic

Coaching history

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Memory Stone for Wilhelm Goldschmidt. Archived 9 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. (in German).
  2. ^ Austria 1911/12. Archived 13 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.com (2 February 2005).
  3. ^ Austria 1912/13. Archived 13 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.com (9 February 2005).
  4. ^ Austria – List of Champions. Archived 27 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.com (25 July 2013).
  5. ^ UEFA Champions League 1955/56 – History – Rapid Wien –. Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine. UEFA.
  6. ^ UEFA Champions League 1960/61 – History – Rapid Wien –. Archived 7 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. UEFA.
  7. ^ "Erinnerungen an Hassduell". sportv1.orf.at. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  8. ^ European Cup Winners' Cup Finals 1961–99. Archived 23 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.com (31 May 1999).
  9. ^ UEFA Champions League 2005/06 – History – Rapid Wien –. Archived 18 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. UEFA.
  10. ^ "Junge Fußballspieler aus 24 Ländern Europas und Asiens trafen sich zum Dritten Internationalen Kinderforum Football for Friendship". www.prnewswire.co.uk. The International Children's Social FOOTBALL FOR FRIENDSHIP project press center. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Champions League-weekend Berlijn onvergetelijk voor Merel Hulst uit Assen". Asser Courant (in Dutch). 7 June 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  12. ^ "SK Rapid Wien - Eckdaten / Das grün-weiße Jahrhundertprojekt: Unser neues Stadion". Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Eröffnung des Allianz Stadions am 16. Juli gegen Chelsea" (in German). SK Rapid Wien. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Zurück in Hütteldorf: Show, Unterhaltung, Sieg vs. Chelsea" (in German). SK Rapid Wien. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  15. ^ [1] Archived 10 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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