Bert Trautmann

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Lore & Background

Performances for St Helens gained Trautmann a reputation as an outstanding goalkeeper, resulting in interest from Football League clubs. In October 1949, he signed for Manchester City, a club playing in the country's highest level of football, the First Division. The club's decision to sign a former Axis paratrooper sparked protests, and 20,000 people attended a demonstration. Over time, he gained acceptance through his performances in the City goal, playing in all but five of the club's next 250 matches. Named FWA Footballer of the Year for 1956, Trautmann entered football folklore with his performance in the 1956 FA Cup final. With 17 minutes of the match remaining, Trautmann suffered a serious injury while diving at the feet of Birmingham City's Peter Murphy. Despite his injury, he continued to play, making crucial saves to preserve his team's 3–1 lead. His neck was noticeably crooked as he collected his winner's medal; three days later an X-ray revealed it to be broken. Trautmann played for Manchester City until 1964, making 545 appearances. After his playing career, he moved into management, first with lower-division sides in England and Germany, and later as part of a German Football Association development scheme that took him to several countries, including Burma, Tanzania and Pakistan. In 2004, he was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for promoting Anglo-German understanding through football. In 2013, Trautmann died at home near Valencia, Spain, aged 89.

In Their Own Story

Rain lashed Wembley, turning the turf into a treacherous slurry under the floodlights. Inside the goalkeeper's box, the world narrowed to a singular, blinding spike of agony in Bert Trautmann's neck. The Birmingham striker struck; Trautmann launched himself, colliding with a force that shattered three vertebrae like dry twigs. He hit the mud and rolled, his vision swimming as his body screamed for him to collapse into paralysis. Yet, he saw the referee signal play on. Slowly, agonizingly, he dragged himself upright. There he stood—a former enemy POW, now City's goalkeeper—guarding the goal with a broken neck, refusing to let go until the final whistle secured the club's 3–1 lead and the FA Cup trophy.

Reader's Guide

Bernhard Carl Trautmann was born on 22 October 1923 in Walle, a working-class area in west Bremen. He joined the Jungvolk in August 1933. During the Second World War, he served as a Luftwaffe paratrooper, fought on the Eastern Front earning five medals including an Iron Cross, and was later captured by the British. He was classified a category "C" prisoner, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi. After the war, he settled in Lancashire, played for St Helens Town, and signed for Manchester City in October 1949. His signing sparked protests with 20,000 attendees. He played in all but five of the club's next 250 matches, won the 1956 FA Cup despite a broken neck, and made 545 appearances for City. After retiring, he managed lower-division sides and worked for the German FA in several countries. He received an honorary OBE in 2004 and died in 2013.

Did You Know?

• Trautmann was one of only 90 survivors from his original 1,000-man regiment.
• He refused an offer of repatriation after the war and chose to stay in England.
• His neck was broken during the 1956 FA Cup final, but he continued playing and made crucial saves.
• He was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004.