In 1949, Manchester City’s England international goalkeeper Frank Swift retired, and the club took the controversial step of signing German goalkeeper Bert Trautmann as his replacement. The life story of Bert Trautmann and the way he overcame the initial hatred he experienced before endearing himself to the English fans is quite an incredible tale. In a previous life, during the war, Trautmann was a Nazi paratrooper, admitting that he saw Jews and the British as enemies. However, when he was taken as a prisoner of war and shipped off to England, he reappraised his views. He soon developed a love for England and once the war was over and he was released, he remained in the country and settled down in Lancashire.

 

His signing was met with protests, and 20,000 people attended a demonstration against Trautmann. In addition, he was under intense pressure by replacing Frank Swift, a beloved English football icon and one of the greatest keepers ever. Incredibly, Trautmann’s haters soon changed their views following some astonishing performances for Manchester City. He became incredibly popular for his bravery in claiming loose balls, often at the peril of an opponent coming at him at full speed.

 

Shortly after the signing, Manchester City was inspired by a new tactical system called “The Revie Plan”, named after city player Don Revie around whom the system revolved. It was based on a system employed by Hungary when they trounced England 6-3 at Wembley, and involved Revie playing as a deep-lying centre forward to start attacks by entering the center of the field to receive the ball and draw the opposing centre-half out of position. Utilising the plan, City reached the 1955 FA Cup final against Newcastle, however when City’s Jimmy Meadows was taken off with a broken leg in an age before substitutions, the plan failed to fire and they lost 3-1.

 

City kept faith in the plan however, and were back in the 1956 FA Cup final against Birmingham City, considered to be one of the most famous cup finals of all time. Two days prior to the match, Trautmann was named Footballer of the Year, and his heroics in the final would prove that it was well deserved. This time, the Revie Plan worked. On kick-off, Birmingham’s goal was immediately under pressure, and Manchester City’s opener came in just the 3rd minute. Although shaken, Birmingham managed to put the ball into Manchester’s net twice, but Brown was ruled offside both times. After an hour, Manchester City suddenly scored twice, the first following some sweet interplay between Barnes, Dyson and Johnstone, and the second following a long ball from Trautmann to Dyson and then on to Johnstone who became the first player to score in consecutive Wembley finals.

 

With 17 minutes left, Birmingham had a chance when Murphy raced towards goal. Trautmann dived at his feet but Murphy’s knee collided with his neck with a massive blow. Trautmann was knocked unconscious and the referee paused the game. No substitutes were allowed, so City would have had to put one of their on field players in goal and play with 10 men for the rest of the game. But, after several minutes of treatment, dazed and unsteady, Trautmann got up and insisted on continuing. He played on in severe pain, and was called upon to make a further two saves. He was in agony after a further collision, but survived the game with no further goals scored. City fans sang “For he’s a jolly good fellow” in tribute to Trautmanns bravery. With his neck in a crooked state, Trautmann collected his FA Cup winners medal from the Duke of Edinburgh.  He attended the teams post-game dinner, despite not being able to move his head.

 

Three days later, an x-ray revealed that Trautmann had completed the game with five dislocated vertebrae in his neck, one cracked in two and the third wedged against the second, preventing further damage that would have paralyzed Trautmann, or even cost him his life.

Star player: Bert Trautmann, DOB 22 October 1923, Bremen, Germany, nickname: Traut the Kraut

1956 Footballer of the Year (a rare honor for a goalkeeper), Bert Trautmann is famous for his exploits in the FA Cup final of that year, where he played out the game with a broken bone in his neck. His brother Karl-Heinz was three years younger, and they enjoyed a close relationship. Due to the bleak economic climate, the Trautmanns sold their home and moved into a small apartment in a working class part of Bremen. In 1933, he joined the Junkvolk who were a precursor to the Hitler Youth. The next year, he won several junior athletics events and received a certificate signed by the President of Germany. He was working as an apprentice mechanic when WWII arrived. He joined the Luftwaffe as a radio operator and then moved into the paratrooper role, serving in occupied Poland. Far behind the front line, his regiment got bored and performed practical jokes to pass the time. One of these backfired and resulted in Trautmanns staff sergeant burning his arms. Trautmann was court martialled and had to spend three months in jail. On his release, he joined the 35th Infantry Division in Ukraine. His unit’s main task was to perform hit-and-run attacks on Soviet supply routes. Trautmann was promoted to Corporal, but his unit was smashed by Soviet counter attacks and only 300 of his 1,000 strong unit, including Trautmann, survived. For his actions though, Trautmann won 5 medals including the Iron Cross First Class. He was then promoted to Sergeant and sent to France to prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. Again, his new unit was decimated so Trautmann decided to make his was home to Bremen. As German soldiers without valid leave papers were now being shot by their own side as deserters, Trautmann had to avoid troops from both sides. But one day, he was found in a barn by two American soldiers. They marched him out of the barn with his hands in the air. Trautmann sensed he was about to be executed, so he fled. He leapt over a fence only to land at the feet of a British soldier who greeted him by saying “Hello, Fritz. Fancy a cup of tea?” He had escaped imprisonment from the Soviets and French Resistance, but with the draw approaching it’s end, he couldn’t be bothered trying to make a third escape. His journey as a prisoner of war saw him go from Belgium to a transit camp in Essex where he was interrogated and given a “C” classification, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi. He was then transferred to a camp near Northwich where he was downgraded to non-Nazi “B” status. He was then taken to a town near Liverpool where he was allowed to work on farms and mix with locals. He was then sent to Lancashire where he stayed until 1948. Here, he regularly played outfield in football matches until one day he injured himself and swapped into goals, where he played from that day on. He declined to be sent home, instead becoming a goalkeeper for St Helen’s Town where he attracted decent crowds to see his performances, and later married the club secretary’s daughter. He attracted attention from Football League clubs and took a contract with the first team who offered him one, Manchester City. He became the first sportsman in Britain to wear Adidas, thanks to his relationship with Adi Dassler. He was initially treated with hatred, especially by away fans who called him “kraut” and “nazi”, but they eventually quietened down when his talent went on display with a string of great saves. As a result, he was given a standing ovation and applauded off the pitch by both sets of players. Over the next few years, Trautmann established himself as one of the best keepers in the league. He made 545 appearances for City up until 1964, and ended his career with a testimonial in front of 60,000 people. He captained a combined Manchester City and United XI starring Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law, against an international XI featuring the likes of Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and Jimmy Armfield. He never played for his country, due to the political implications, and he had to watch as his countrymen won the 1954 World Cup without him. He became famous after the 1956 FA Cup final where he played with his broken neck, but five months later his five year old son was tragically killed in a car accident. He saved over 60% of the penalties he faced during his career, but had a difficult time accepting criticism and only allowed close friends to suggest changes to his game. He also had a slight bad temper, and was sent off a couple of times during his career. He retired and became a manager, taking control of international teams as random as Myanmar, Tanzania, Liberia, Pakistan and North Yemen. He finally retired from football in 1988 and settled down in Spain. Trautmann’s legacy speaks for itself. Lev Yashin, himself possibly the greatest keeper of all time, once said that he and Trautmann were the only two world class goalkeepers. Bob Wilson names Trautmann as his boyhood hero and even Gordon Banks attributed his playing style to Trautmann. He was awarded an OBE in 2004 for his services to Anglo-German relations. That night, he met the Queen and she said to him, “Ah, Herr Trautmann. I remember you. Have you still got that pain in your neck?” Trautmann was 89 years old when he died in 2013. Bob Wilson said he was “an amazing man, who brought our two warring countries together.”