History of AIK Fotboll facts for kids
The Swedish football club AIK started in 1891. They quickly won the Swedish Football Championship in 1900 and 1901. Later, AIK joined the Allsvenskan league in 1924, winning it in 1932 and 1937. In 1937, the club also moved to the Råsunda Stadium.
After a long wait, AIK won the league again in 1992 and 1993. They also won the Swedish Cup in 1996. In 1999, AIK reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, a huge achievement.
After a tough period, AIK was relegated in 2004. But they bounced back quickly, returning to the top league the next year. In 2009, they had a fantastic year, winning both the League and the Cup! AIK continued to be a strong team and won the Championship again in 2018.
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AIK's Early Years (1891-1945)
AIK was founded in 1891 in Stockholm by Isidor Behrens. The club's full name, "Allmänna Idrottsklubben," means "The General Sports Club." This name showed that the club was open to everyone. It also meant that sports like athletics were very important to them.
AIK quickly became successful. They were runners-up in the championship in 1898. Then, they won their first Swedish championship title in 1900. They beat Örgryte IS in the final. In 1901, AIK won another title.
Around this time, Örgryte IS was a very strong team. But AIK still managed to win the championship twice and be runners-up three times between 1898 and 1901. In 1899, AIK played against Djurgårdens IF for the first time. Djurgården was founded in the same year as AIK. Because of this, games between them are called the tvillingderbyt (the twin derby). Djurgården is still AIK's main rival today.
AIK won their third championship in 1911. They beat IFK Uppsala in the final. They won again in 1914. In 1916, AIK defeated Djurgårdens IF 3–1 in the final to win another title. In 1923, they won their sixth title by beating IFK Eskilstuna.
In 1924, a new top league called "Allsvenskan" started. AIK won their first Allsvenskan title in 1931/32. This was their seventh Swedish title overall.
In 1937, AIK's football team moved from Stockholms Stadion to Råsunda Fotbollsstadion. This was a big year for the club. AIK also won their eighth Swedish title that year. Olle Zetterlund scored 23 goals, which is still the most goals scored by an AIK player in one season.
AIK's Journey (1945-1991)
After World War II, AIK had some good seasons, finishing second in 1946 and third in 1947.
In 1951, AIK was moved down to the second division. This is called being "relegated." They needed one more goal in their last game to stay in the top league. But they only won 1–0 against Malmö FF, who had been undefeated for 49 games.
AIK quickly returned to the top league the next season. In the mid-1950s, a new star player, Kurt "Kurre" Hamrin, joined AIK. However, after he left to play in Italy, the club faced some tough times.
In 1962, AIK was relegated again. But they won the second division and came back to Allsvenskan the very next season. In the early 1970s, many thought AIK would win the league. Their best finish was second place in 1972. In 1975, a record 40,669 fans came to watch the derby against Djurgårdens IF. AIK won the Swedish Cup in 1976.
In 1979, AIK was relegated to Division II once more. But they quickly returned to Allsvenskan.
Champions and European Adventures (1992-1999)
In 1992, AIK became Swedish champions. This was their first league title in 55 years!
In 1993, AIK finished third in the league. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. They also played in the UEFA Champions League that year. However, they lost to Sparta Prague in the first round.
AIK had many fans come to their games during this time. They had their biggest average attendance since the mid-1980s.
In 1994, AIK started the season very well. But they ended up in sixth place. They also lost the Cup final, which meant they couldn't play in Europe the next season. This year, Alexander Östlund became AIK's youngest player and scorer of the 20th century. He was only 16 years old.
The 1995 season also started strong for AIK. They were at the top of the league after seven games. But they finished in a disappointing eighth place.
Winning the Cup and Facing Barcelona (1996-1997)
In 1996, Erik Hamrén became the manager. After a tough start, AIK played very well in the summer and autumn. They finished fourth in the league. More importantly, they won the Swedish Cup. This meant they qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup.
In the Cup Winners' Cup, AIK reached the third round. There, they played against the famous team FC Barcelona. The first game was in Barcelona. AIK's new player Nebojsa Novakovic helped them score an early goal. But Barcelona won the game 3–1. In the return game in Sweden, Ronaldo scored early for Barcelona. Even though AIK scored an equalizer, Barcelona won overall.
In 1997, AIK was expected to challenge for the league title. But they finished eighth again. However, they won the Cup once more. This qualified them for the Cup Winners' Cup again. But they lost in the first round.
League Champions Again (1998)
In 1998, Stuart Baxter became the new manager. New players like goalkeeper Mattias Asper and defender Olof Mellberg joined. Many early games were draws. But after eight games, Mattias Asper became the main goalkeeper. With him, AIK did not lose another game all season! They moved from the bottom of the table to fighting for the title.
In the last game, leaders Helsingborg only needed to win against a team already going down to a lower league. But they lost. Meanwhile, Alexander Östlund scored for AIK in their 1–0 win against Örgryte. This helped AIK win their tenth league title!
AIK's defense was very strong that year. They scored the fewest goals of all teams but still won the league. Asper, AIK's defenders, and midfielder Johan Mjällby were praised. Mjällby later moved to Celtic.
Champions League Glory (1999)
1999 was a very exciting year for AIK. The club became a company, and they bought many new players. One big signing was Andreas Andersson for a record amount of money for Sweden.
During the season, Mattias Asper kept a "clean sheet" (meaning no goals were scored against him) for a record 19 hours and 17 minutes! AIK was close to winning the league again. But Helsingborg won it in the end.
The biggest highlight was reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage. This was the first time a Stockholm team had gone so far. AIK beat Greek team AEK to get there. Novakovic scored the winning goal.
AIK was in a very tough group with Arsenal, Barcelona, and Fiorentina. In the first game against Barcelona, Novakovic scored an amazing goal to give AIK the lead. But Barcelona scored two goals later, winning 2–1. AIK also played Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, a famous place. AIK was tied 1–1 late in the game, but Arsenal scored two quick goals to win 3–1. AIK got one draw against Fiorentina. Even though they only got one point, AIK played well against some of Europe's best teams.
Ups and Downs (2000-2009)
At the start of the new millennium, AIK was a favorite to win the league. They signed more good players like Teddy Lucic and Erik Edman. But some key players got injured. AIK finished third in the league. They also reached the Cup final for the fifth time in six years but lost.
In 2001, AIK finished third again. They had a great unbeaten streak of 12 games. AIK reached the Cup final again, but lost in a long penalty shootout.
The 2002 season had many manager changes. AIK finished fifth and reached the Cup final again, losing to rivals Djurgården. But AIK had the most fans at their home games for the fifth year in a row.
In 2003, Richard Money became the new manager. Nebojsa Novakovic became his assistant. They started very well, with six wins and a draw in their first eight games. In a "twin derby" game, AIK came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3! But after that, they struggled and finished fifth. This meant no European games for AIK.
Relegation and Comeback (2004-2005)
The year 2004 was a very bad year for AIK. The manager resigned early in the season. Patrick Englund, a former AIK player, took over. But he had no experience as a manager. The team had many injuries and played poorly. As a result, AIK was relegated from the top league for the fourth time. This means they moved down to a lower division.
When a team is relegated, many players leave. New, less expensive players joined AIK. Rikard Norling became the new manager. He had managed AIK's youth team before. The 2005 season started slowly. But after changing their playing style, AIK went on a 15-game unbeaten run! With three games left, AIK secured their promotion back to the top league. About 6,000 AIK fans traveled to see the game. AIK finished the season nine points ahead of the second-place team.
Return to Allsvenskan and Double Title (2006-2009)
Fans were very excited for AIK's return to Allsvenskan in 2006. Over 23,000 people came to the first match. A highlight was a 3–1 derby win over Djurgården in front of 34,000 fans. AIK only lost three games all year. They were close to winning the title but finished second.
In 2007, AIK signed some Argentine players, including Iván Obolo. He scored 24 goals in three seasons. The season looked good until AIK sold a key striker. They then drew four games in a row and fell out of the title race. AIK finished fifth.
The next year, 2008, was another fifth-place finish. This meant no European games. Manager Norling was replaced by Mikael Stahre. AIK still had the highest average home attendance in the league, with over 15,000 fans per game.
Under Stahre, AIK had an amazing year in 2009. They won the league in the very last game of the season! AIK needed a draw to win the title. Their long-time captain, Daniel Tjernström, scored the winning goal against IFK Göteborg. Göteborg was AIK's biggest rival outside Stockholm. If Göteborg had won that game, they would have won the league. AIK also beat Göteborg in the Cup final that year. They also won the Super Cup. This was a fantastic "double-title" win!
Building a Strong Team (2010-2016)
In 2010, AIK had a tough start to the season. Manager Mikael Stahre left the club. Former AIK player Andreas Alm eventually became the new manager.
The 2011 season was a success for AIK, as they finished second. Two players from Sierra Leone, Mohamed Bangura and Teteh Bangura, played very well together. Teteh scored 12 goals. Later that year, both Banguras were sold to other clubs. Nebojsa Novakovic returned as assistant manager.
In 2012, AIK reached the UEFA Europa League group stage. On August 6, 2013, AIK played a friendly game against Manchester United at Friends Arena, drawing 1–1.
Under manager Alm, AIK became a top club. They finished second, fourth, second, third, and third again from 2011 to 2015. The club's goal for 2016 was to win the championship. However, after eight games in the 2016 season, Alm was sacked. AIK was in ninth place at the time.
The Second Norling Era (2016-2020)
On May 13, 2016, Rikard Norling returned as AIK's new manager. He had managed the team before from 2005 to 2008.
With Norling back, AIK played eight games in a row without losing. This included winning derby matches against both Djurgården and Hammarby.
A key player in 2016 was Carlos Strandberg, a striker on loan from CSKA Moscow. He scored seven goals in twelve games. During the summer, AIK signed another important striker, Chinedu Obasi. He had played for a big German club, Schalke 04. Obasi scored six goals in ten games and was considered a very skilled striker.
Under Norling, the team played very well in 2016. They adapted quickly to his preferred playing style. AIK had a streak of nine games without losing, including seven wins. With three games left, AIK was in second place. But they lost the title race after a defeat to IFK Göteborg. Malmö won the championship that year.
AIK's top scorer in 2016 was Alexander Isak, who was only 16 years old for most of the season. He scored 10 goals. Because of his young age and goal-scoring ability, many top European clubs wanted him. In January 2017, Isak was sold to Borussia Dortmund. This was the highest transfer fee ever paid for a Swedish player.
Building for Success (2017)
Before the 2017 season, AIK signed Kristoffer Olsson, the captain of Sweden's U21 national team. He became a key player in midfield. Striker Henok Goitom also returned to the club.
In July 2017, AIK made more changes to their squad. They signed Nicolás Stefanelli, a fast Argentine striker. Chinedu Obasi also returned to AIK for the rest of the season. AIK also signed Rasmus Lindkvist, who became a strong player on the left side of the field.
AIK finished second in the league in 2017. They had an unbeaten streak of twelve league matches at the end of the season. Their defense was strong, and their midfield and strikers also started playing very well. This gave fans hope for a successful 2018 season.
Two important players left the club after 2017. Midfielder Stefan Ishizaki ended his second time at the club after playing 11 seasons for AIK. Captain Nils-Eric Johansson had to retire from football in February 2018 due to a heart condition. He played 297 games for AIK.
Champions Again (2018)
Before the 2018 season, AIK made several important new signings. These included Enoch Kofi Adu, Joel Ekstrand, Tarik Elyounoussi, and former AIK players Nabil Bahoui and Alexander Milošević.
After many defenders got injured, Robin Jansson joined AIK. He was working in a factory and playing in a lower league just a few years before. Jansson quickly became a key defender for AIK.
AIK was in second place at the summer break. Then, they made another big signing: Sebastian Larsson. He had just played a big part in Sweden reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2018.
AIK was at the top of the league from the 13th game day until the end. But because of several draws, they needed a win or a draw in the last game of the season. They played away at Kalmar. A header from Jansson just before half-time was the only goal of the game. AIK won 1–0 and became champions for the first time since 2009! When it was time to lift the trophy, Goitom kindly gave his captain's armband to former captain Johansson. Johansson, who had to retire, was the first to lift the trophy.
Recent Seasons (2019-2020)
For the 2019 season, AIK sold Kristoffer Olsson and Robin Jansson. Jansson was replaced by Karol Mets, the captain of the Estonia national team. He played very well. AIK finished the 2019 season in fourth place. This meant they would only play in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League if they won the 2019/2020 Swedish Cup.
Before the 2020 season, AIK lost Elyounoussi and their main goalkeeper Oscar Linnér. But they welcomed back Ghanaian midfielder Ebenezer Ofori.
