Under Construction

Examples of Sports Stars - Bert Trautmann

When people ask me about life, I say my education began when I got to England. I learnt about humanity, tolerance and forgiveness - Bert Trautmann -

Index

Bert Trautmann's background

What makes Bert Trautmann such a great example?

FA Cup Final

Bert Trautmann's background

Bert Trautmann was a German prisoner of war who, having chosen to stay in England after his release, became a goalkeeper for Manchester City, and went on to win the Footballer of the Year award in 1956. His signing was controversial so soon after the war, given the strong anti-German feeling of the time, but he won over fans and press alike through his performances, not least the one described below.

What makes Bert Trautmann such a great example?

Bert Trautmann is a good example of a chart that has to carry both extraordinary physical pain and extraordinary willpower at the same moment, given what happened to him in the 1956 FA Cup Final, described in detail below.

FA Cup Final

With seventeen minutes still to play in the 1956 FA Cup Final, Bert Trautmann dived at the feet of an onrushing Birmingham City forward and was knocked unconscious by a collision that, as an X-ray revealed three days later, had broken a bone in his neck. With no substitutes allowed in that era, he played on, holding his head at an awkward angle to ease the pain, and helped Manchester City win the match 3-1. He was one vertebra away from being killed outright.