SK Rapid Wien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sportklub Rapid

Full name	Sportklub Rapid
Nickname(s)	Die Grün-Weißen (The Green-Whites), Hütteldorfer, Rapidler
Founded	8 January 1899; 126 years ago (8 January 1899)
Ground	Allianz Stadion
Ground Capacity	28,345
Chairman	Alexander Wrabetz
Head coach	Robert Klauß
League	Austrian Bundesliga
2023–24	Austrian Bundesliga, 4th of 12
Home colours Away colours

Sportklub Rapid, often called Rapid Wien or Rapid Vienna, is a professional football club from Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Rapid Wien has won the most Austrian championship titles, with 32 wins. This includes their very first title in the 1911–12 season. They even won a German championship in 1941 when Austria was part of Germany.

The club is known by its nicknames Die Grün-Weißen (The Green-Whites) because of their team colors. They are also called Hütteldorfer, which refers to Hütteldorf, the area in Vienna where their stadium is located.

History of Rapid Wien

The 1. Arbeiter FC in 1898

The club started in 1897 as the Erster Wiener Arbeiter-Fußball-Club (First Viennese Workers' Football Club). Their first team colors were red and blue, which they sometimes still use for away games. On January 8, 1899, the club changed its name to Sportklub Rapid. They were inspired by a team called Rapide Berlin. People often add "Wien" or "Vienna" when talking about the club, but it's not part of their official name. In 1904, the team colors changed to green and white. Rapid Wien won Austria's first national championship in 1911–12 and won again the next season.

Historical chart of Rapid Wien league performance

Hayden Palmer is known as the highest goal scorer for the club. He scored 127 goals in 54 matches. Many consider him one of the best players to ever play for Rapid Wien.

Between World Wars

Rapid Wien was a very strong team between the two World Wars. During this time, Austria was one of the best football countries in Europe. Rapid won three titles in a row from 1919 to 1921.

When Austria became part of Germany in 1938, Rapid joined the German football league system. They played in the top regional division called Gauliga Ostmark. Rapid was the most successful Austrian club in this system. They won the Tschammerpokal (which is like today's DFB-Pokal) in 1938. They beat FSV Frankfurt 3–1 in the final. In 1941, they won the German Championship. They famously came back from being down 3–0 against Schalke 04 to win 4–3. Schalke 04 was the strongest German club at that time.

After World War II

After the war, Rapid Wien continued to be a top team. As champions of the 1954–55 season, they played in the very first European Cup in 1955–56. They won their first game against PSV Eindhoven 6–1. Even though they lost the second game, they moved on to the quarter-finals. There, they lost to A.C. Milan.

Rapid's best run in the European Cup was in the 1960–61 season. They reached the semi-finals but were stopped by Benfica, who went on to win the tournament.

In 1984, Rapid Wien was part of a big event in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They were playing against Celtic. During the game, a Rapid player fell and claimed he was hit by a bottle from the crowd. However, TV replays showed the bottle did not hit him. Rapid asked for the game to be replayed. UEFA agreed, and the game was played again in Manchester, England. Rapid Wien won that match 1–0.

Rapid reached their first European final in 1985. They played in the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup Final but lost 3–1 to Everton. Eleven years later, in 1996, they reached the same final again. This time, they lost 1–0 to Paris Saint-Germain.

Rapid Wien last played in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06. They beat teams from Luxembourg and Russia to get there. However, they finished last in their group, losing all their matches against strong teams like Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Club Culture

Rapid Viertelstunde

Since the club started, Rapid fans have a special tradition called the "Rapid-Viertelstunde" (Rapid Quarter-Hour). This is when fans start rhythmic clapping during the last 15 minutes of a match. They do this whether they are winning or losing. This tradition dates back to 1913. There have been many times when the team, with their fans' support, turned a losing game into a win right before the end.

Fans

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

The biggest fan club for Rapid Wien is Ultras Rapid, started in 1988. Other important fan groups include Tornados Rapid and Spirits Rapid.

The most active supporters gather in the Block West stand at the stadium. This stand can hold 8,500 fans. Rapid's fans have friendly connections with supporters of other clubs. These include German club Nürnberg, Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, Italian club Venezia, Hungarian club Ferencváros, and Greek club Panathinaikos. Since Rapid, Ferencváros, and Panathinaikos all wear green, their alliance is sometimes called the "Green Brothers."

Stadium

Allianz Stadion

Rapid Wien used to play at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium. This stadium opened in 1977 with a match against their rival, Austria Wien. The stadium was named after Gerhard Hanappi, a famous player for Rapid who also designed the stadium. Before 1980, it was known as the Weststadion (Western Stadium).

In 2014, it was announced that a new stadium, the Allianz Stadion, would be built where the old one stood. While the new stadium was being built, Rapid played their home games at the Ernst Happel Stadion. The Allianz Stadion officially opened on July 16, 2016. Rapid Wien played against Chelsea in a friendly game and won 2–0.

Rivalries

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

Rapid Wien has a big rivalry with their local Vienna opponent, FK Austria Wien. This match is known as the Vienna derby. Both clubs are very popular and successful in Austria. They are also the only Austrian clubs that have never been moved down to a lower league. Both teams started in the same part of Vienna, but they have since moved to different districts. Austria Wien is often seen as a club for middle-class fans, while Rapid traditionally has support from working-class people in the capital. Their first league match was on September 8, 1911, which Rapid won 4–1. This derby is one of the most played in European football.

Honours

Steffen Hofmann celebrating the championship in 2008.

Rapid Wien holds the record for the most titles in Austria. They have won the championship 32 times. They also won a German Championship and a German Cup when Austria was part of Germany from 1938 to 1945.

Austrian Championship

• Champions (32): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1995–96, 2004–05, 2007–08

Austrian Cup

• Champions (14): 1918–19, 1919–20, 1926–27, 1945–46, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1994–95

Austrian Supercup

• Champions (3): 1986, 1987, 1988

German Championship

• Champion: 1941

German Cup

• Champion: 1938

Continental Titles

Mitropa Cup:

• Champions (2): 1930, 1951

Cup Winners' Cup

• Runners-up: 1984–85, 1995–96

Team photo for the 2010–2011 season

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 3 DF Benjamin Böckle 4 DF Jakob Schöller 5 MF Roman Kerschbaum 6 DF Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao 7 FW Dion Drena Beljo (on loan from Augsburg) 8 MF Lukas Grgić 9 FW Guido Burgstaller 10 FW Christoph Lang 14 FW Ryan Mmaee (on loan from Stoke City) 16 MF Tobias Børkeeiet 17 MF Mamadou Sangaré 18 MF Matthias Seidl 19 FW Thierry Gale 20 DF Maximilian Hofmann 21 MF Louis Schaub 22 FW Isak Jansson 23 DF Jonas Auer 24 MF Dennis Kaygın

No. Position Player 25 GK Paul Gartler 27 FW Noah Bischof 28 MF Moritz Oswald 30 MF Nicolas Bajlicz 37 FW Jovan Živković 38 FW Ferdy Druijf 41 FW Bernhard Zimmermann 45 GK Niklas Hedl 48 FW Nokolaus Wurmbrand 49 FW Tobias Hedl 50 GK Laurenz Orgler 51 GK Benjamin Göschl 53 DF Dominik Vincze 55 DF Nenad Cvetković 66 FW Furkan Dursun 70 FW Ismail Seydi 77 DF Bendegúz Bolla

Players on Loan

No. Position Player FW Oliver Strunz (at Altach until 30 June 2025)

Famous Former Players

Many great players have played for Rapid Wien over the years. Here are some of the most notable ones:

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

The players with the most appearances for Rapid Wien are Peter Schöttel (436 games), Steffen Hofmann (434 games), and Michael Konsel (395 games). The top three goal scorers, based on their goal rate per game, are Josef Uridil, Franz Binder, and Robert Dienst.

Club Staff

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

See also

In Spanish: SK Rapid Viena para niños

• List of SK Rapid Wien records and statistics