SK Rapid Wien

 

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]

 

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.

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.

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]

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.

 

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"

 

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]

 

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.

 

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

• 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

Mitropa Cup:

• Champions (2): 1930, 1951

Cup Winners' Cup

• Runners-up: 1984–85, 1995–96

 

As of 10 November 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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

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

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

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).

• List of SK Rapid Wien records and statistics

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to SK Rapid Wien.

• Rapid at UEFA.com
• Rapid at EUFO.de
• Rapid at Weltfussball.de
• SK Rapid Wien Results current results of SK Rapid Wien