Bert Trautmann OBE
Goalkeeper · Manchester City · Germany
About Bert Trautmann OBE
Bert Trautmann's story is one of the most remarkable in football history. A German paratrooper and prisoner of war who stayed in England and became Manchester City's greatest ever goalkeeper — and one of the finest in the world. He is forever remembered for completing the 1956 FA Cup final with a broken neck.
Bert Trautmann OBE's story
From POW to Football Legend
Trautmann was captured by British forces at the end of WWII and held as a prisoner of war in Lancashire. He chose to stay in England after the war and began playing football for local teams. Manchester City signed him in 1949 — a decision initially met with fierce protest from the Jewish community of Manchester, but Trautmann's dignity and performances quickly won over all supporters.
The Broken Neck Final
In the 1956 FA Cup final against Birmingham City, Trautmann suffered a collision that broke his neck. He played on for the final 17 minutes, making several crucial saves as City won 3-1. It was only three days later, when he sought medical attention for persistent pain, that the break was discovered. He was voted Football Writers' Footballer of the Year that season.
Legacy and Reconciliation
Trautmann became a symbol of post-war reconciliation between Britain and Germany. He received the OBE in 2004 and was later awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. A film of his life, 'The Keeper', was released in 2018.
Did you know?
- ⚽ He played the final 17 minutes of the 1956 FA Cup final with a broken neck — one of the most extraordinary acts of courage in sporting history. Manchester City won 3-1.
- 🏆 He was voted FWA Footballer of the Year in 1956 — one of the first goalkeepers to win the award and the first German to receive major individual recognition in English football.
- 👨👩👧👦 Trautmann's personal life was marked by tragedy — his son John died in a car accident in 1956, just weeks before the FA Cup final. He played through his grief as well as his injury. He was married three times and died in Spain in 2013.
- 🌍 He became one of the most powerful symbols of post-war British-German reconciliation — received by both governments and beloved in both countries.
- 🎖️ Despite being one of the finest goalkeepers in the world throughout the 1950s, he never played for West Germany — partly due to the politics of the era and partly because he had chosen to stay in England.
Honours
- FA Cup: Manchester City (1956)
- Second Division: Manchester City (1951)
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1956
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