Bert Trautmann Bernhard Carl " Bert " Trautmann , OBE ( 22 October 1923 – 19 July 2013 ) was a German professional footballer who played for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964 . Brought up during times of inter - war strife in Germany , Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War , serving as a paratrooper . He fought on the Eastern Front for three years , earning five medals , including an Iron Cross . Later in the war , he was transferred to the Western Front , where he was captured by the British as the war drew to a close . One of only 90 of his original 1 , 000 - man regiment to survive the war , he was transferred to a prisoner - of - war camp in Ashton - in - Makerfield , Lancashire . Trautmann refused an offer of repatriation , and following his release in 1948 , settled in Lancashire , combining farm work with playing goalkeeper for a local football team , St Helens Town . 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 ( Football Association ) 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 . Trautmann died at home in Valencia , Spain , on 19 July 2013 , aged 89 . Early life in Germany . Trautmann was born on 22 October 1923 in Walle , a middle class area in west Bremen , living with his father who worked in a fertiliser factory by the docks , and his mother Frieda , a housewife . He had a brother , Karl - Heinz , three years his junior , with whom he enjoyed a close relationship . The bleak economic climate of the early 1930s forced the Trautmanns to sell their house and move to an apartment block in the working class area of Gröpelingen , where Bernhard lived until 1941 . The young Bernhard had a keen interest in sport , playing football , handball and völkerball ( a form of dodgeball ) . To this end , he joined the YMCA and football club " Blau und Weiss " . He took to playing for the football club with enthusiasm , but the YMCA activities did not interest him to the same extent . In August 1933 , he joined a new organisation , the Jungvolk , a precursor to the Hitler Youth . The following year , he won several local junior athletics events and was awarded a certificate for athletic excellence signed by Paul von Hindenburg , the President of Germany . At the onset of the Second World War , Trautmann was working as an apprentice motor mechanic . Second World War . Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe as a radio operator in 1941 . During training , he showed little aptitude for radio work , and transferred to Spandau to become a " Fallschirmjäger " ( paratrooper ) . He served first in Occupied Poland , though being stationed far behind the front line resulted in boredom for his regiment , which resorted to sports and practical jokes to pass the time . One such practical joke involving a car backfired on Trautmann , resulting in a staff sergeant burning his arms . Trautmann was court - martial led , and received a three - month prison sentence . At the start of his confinement , Trautmann came down with acute appendicitis , and spent the remainder of his sentence in a military hospital . In October 1941 , he rejoined the 35th Infantry Division at Dnepropetrovsk , Ukraine , where the German advance had halted because of the early onset of winter . Over - winter hit - and - run attacks on Soviet Army supply routes were the unit ' s main focus and in spring , Trautmann was promoted to " Unteroffizier " ( corporal ) . Gains were made in 1942 , but the Soviet counter - offensive hit Trautmann ' s unit hard , and by the time it was withdrawn from the Eastern Front , only 300 of the original 1 , 000 men remained . Trautmann won five medals for his actions on the Eastern Front , including an Iron Cross First Class . Promoted to " Feldwebel " ( sergeant ) , Trautmann was part of a unit formed from the remnants of several others which had been decimated in the east , and moved to France in anticipation of the Allied invasion of Normandy . In 1944 , he was one of the few survivors of the Allied bombing of Kleve , and with no unit left decided to head home to Bremen . By this point , German soldiers without valid leave papers were being shot as deserters , so Trautmann sought to avoid troops from either side . However , a few days later , he was captured in a barn by two American soldiers . Deciding that Trautmann had no useful intelligence to give them , the soldiers marched him out of the barn with his hands raised . Fearing he was about to be executed , Trautmann fled . After evading his captors , he jumped over a fence , only to land at the feet of a British soldier , who greeted him with the words " Hello Fritz , fancy a cup of tea ? " Earlier in the war , he had been captured by the Russians and later the French Resistance , but escaped both times . With the war drawing to a close , Trautmann did not attempt a third escape . He was imprisoned near Ostend , Belgium , then transferred to a transit camp in Essex , where he was interrogated . As a volunteer soldier who had been subject to indoctrination from a young age , he was classified a category " C " prisoner by the authorities , meaning he was regarded as a Nazi . Trautmann , one of only 90 of his original regiment to survive the war , was then transferred to a prisoner - of - war camp at Marbury Hall , near Northwich , Cheshire , and interned with other category " C " prisoners . He was soon downgraded to non - Nazi " B " status , after which he was taken to PoW Camp 50 ( now Byrchall High School ) in Ashton - in - Makerfield in Lancashire between St Helens and Wigan , where he stayed until 1948 . Football matches were regularly held at the camp , in which Trautmann played outfield . However , in a match against amateur team Haydock Park , Trautmann was injured while playing centre - half . He swapped positions with goalkeeper Gunther Luhr , and from that day forward played as a goalkeeper . During this time he became known as " Bert " , as the English had trouble pronouncing " Bernd " , the abbreviated version of his name . Early football career . With closure of the PoW camp imminent , Trautmann declined an offer of repatriation and stayed in England , working on a farm in Milnthorpe then subsequently working on bomb disposal in Huyton . In August , 1948 he started playing amateur football for the non - league Liverpool County Combination club St Helens Town , through which he met the club secretary ' s daughter , Margaret Friar , whom he later married . Over the course of the 1948 – 49 season , Trautmann ' s goalkeeping reputation steadily grew and a series of large crowds were attributed to his performances , including a record 9 , 000 attendance in the final of a local cup competition , the Mahon Cup . The success of that season elevated the club into Division Two of the Lancashire Combination League for the start of 1949 / 50 . Joins Manchester City . Performances for St Helens gained Trautmann a reputation as an able goalkeeper , resulting in interest from Football League clubs . As the following season commenced , a number of League clubs showed interest in signing him . The first to offer him a contract was Manchester City , a club playing in the highest level of football in the country , the First Division . On 7 October 1949 Trautmann signed for the club as an amateur and turned professional shortly after . Trautmann became the first sportsman in Britain to wear Adidas , thanks to his friendship with Adolf Dassler . Supporter discontent . Some Manchester City fans were unhappy about signing a former member of the Luftwaffe . Season ticket holders threatened a boycott , and various groups in Manchester and around the country bombarded the club with protest letters . In addition to this difficulty , Trautmann was replacing the recently retired Frank Swift , one of the greatest keepers in the club ' s history . Though privately expressing doubts about the signing , the club captain , Eric Westwood , a Normandy veteran , made a public display of welcoming Trautmann by announcing , " There ' s no war in this dressing room " . Trautmann made his first team debut on 19 November against Bolton Wanderers , and after a competent display in his first home match , protests shrank as fans discovered his talent . He continued to receive abuse from crowds at away matches , which affected his concentration in some early games ; in December 1949 , he conceded seven goals at Derby County . City ' s match against Fulham in January 1950 was Trautmann ' s first visit to London . The match received widespread media attention , as most of the British press were based there ; several leading sportswriters watched Trautmann in action for the first time . The damage caused to the city by the Luftwaffe meant former paratrooper Trautmann was a target of hatred for the crowd , who yelled " Kraut " and " Nazi " . City were struggling in the league , and widely expected to suffer a heavy defeat but a string of saves from Trautmann meant the final score was a narrow 1 – 0 loss . At the final whistle , Trautmann received a standing ovation , and was applauded off the pitch by both sets of players . The Manchester City team struggled throughout the season , and was relegated to the Second Division . Early Manchester City career . Manchester City returned to the top flight at its first attempt , and in the following years Trautmann established himself as one of the best keepers in the league , playing in all but five of his club ' s next 250 league matches . By 1952 , his fame had spread to his home country , leading Schalke 04 to offer Manchester City £1 , 000 for his services . The offer was refused , the club responded that they thought Trautmann to be worth twenty times more . In the mid - 1950s , the Manchester City manager Les McDowall introduced a new tactical system using a deep - lying centre - forward , which became known as the Revie Plan after Don Revie who played centre - forward . The system depended on maintaining possession of the ball wherever possible , which required Trautmann to make use of his throwing ability . For goalkeepers of Trautmann ' s era , it was usual to kick the ball as far as possible downfield after making a save . By contrast , Trautmann , influenced by the Hungarian goalkeeper Gyula Grosics , sought to start attacks by throwing the ball to a wing - half , typically Ken Barnes or John McTavish . The wing - half then passed to Revie to develop the attack . 1955 FA Cup Final . Using the ' Revie ' system , the club reached the 1955 FA Cup Final , in which Trautmann became the first German to play in an FA Cup final . City faced Newcastle United , winners of the cup in 1951 and 1952 . Nerves affected the City players , and they went behind to a Jackie Milburn goal after only 45 seconds . Further problems were caused by the loss of Jimmy Meadows to injury after 18 minutes , leaving City with 10 men , a disadvantage that meant Trautmann ' s ability to start attacks from throws was limited . Though City equalised in the first half , they struggled in the second , and after 57 minutes Trautmann was outwitted by Bobby Mitchell , who scored Newcastle ' s second goal . The match finished as a comfortable 3 – 1 win for Newcastle , and Trautmann gained a runners - up medal . 1956 FA Cup Final . Manchester City had a strong season in 1955 – 56 , finishing fourth in the league and reached the FA Cup final against Birmingham City . Trautmann , one of the team ' s most prominent performers , won the FWA Footballer of the Year Award shortly before the match , the first goalkeeper to win the award . Two days later , Trautmann stepped out onto the Wembley pitch for the match that would gain him worldwide acclaim . During the previous final , nerves had contributed to the opposition scoring an early goal . The City team was more settled on this occasion and scored an early goal , a left - footed strike by Joe Hayes . Birmingham equalised on 14 minutes . The match remained level until midway through the second half , when Jack Dyson and Bobby Johnstone scored two goals in as many minutes to give Manchester City a 3 – 1 lead . Birmingham attacked strongly in the next ten minutes . In the 75th minute , Trautmann , diving at an incoming ball , was knocked out in a collision with Birmingham ' s Peter Murphy in which he was hit in the neck by Murphy ' s right knee . No substitutes were permitted in those days , so Trautmann , dazed and unsteady on his feet , carried on . For the remaining 15 minutes he defended his net , making a crucial interception to deny Murphy once more . Manchester City held on for the victory , and Trautmann was the hero because of his spectacular saves in the last minutes of the match . Trautmann admitted later that he had spent the last part of the match " in a kind of fog " . His neck continued to cause him pain , and Prince Philip commented on its crooked state as he gave Trautmann his winner ' s medal . Trautmann attended that evening ' s post - match banquet despite being unable to move his head , and went to bed expecting the injury to heal with rest . As the pain did not recede , the following day he went to St George ' s Hospital , where he was told he merely had a crick in his neck which would go away . Three days later , he got a second opinion from a doctor at Manchester Royal Infirmary . An X - ray revealed he had dislocated five vertebrae , the second of which was cracked in two . The third vertebra had wedged against the second , preventing further damage which could have cost Trautmann his life . Recovery from injury . Trautmann ' s convalescence took several months , resulting in him missing a large part of the 1956 – 57 season . Jack Savage deputised during his absence . At the start of December , Trautmann played two reserve matches , but lacked confidence . He was restored to the first team on 15 December for a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers , but conceded three goals . He struggled to regain his form in the remainder of the season , leading to calls from some fans and media for him to retire . Others criticised the club , believing that Trautmann had been forced to play while still not fully recovered from injury . The 1957 – 58 season was an unusual one for Manchester City , which became the first and thus far only English team to both score and concede 100 goals in a season . Trautmann played in 34 matches , and though he did not play in the 9 – 2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion , an 8 – 4 defeat to Leicester City was a record for the most goals conceded by Trautmann in a match in his career , and in the entire season he kept only two clean sheet s . Testimonial . Trautmann appeared in 545 matches for City during the 15 - year period between 1949 and 1964 . On 15 April 1964 , he ended his career with a testimonial in front of a crowd officially numbered at 47 , 000 , though the true figure was estimated to be closer to 60 , 000 . Trautmann captained a combined Manchester City and Manchester United XI that included Bobby Charlton and Denis Law , against an International XI that included Tom Finney , Stanley Matthews , Ronnie Clayton and Jimmy Armfield . International football . Though recognised as one of the leading goalkeepers of his era , he never played for his native country . Trautmann met with the German national coach , Sepp Herberger , in 1953 , who explained that travel and political implications prevented him from selecting a player who was not readily available , and that he could only consider including Trautmann if he were playing in a German league . Consequently , Trautmann ' s international isolation prevented him from playing in the 1954 World Cup , in which his countrymen were victorious . Trautmann ' s only experience of international football came in 1960 , when the Football League decided to include non - English players to represent the Football League in representative matches for the first time . Trautmann captained the League against the Irish League , and also played against the Italian League . Later career . After leaving City , Trautmann played briefly for Wellington Town , who offered him £50 per match . Age had diminished his abilities , but his debut at Hereford showed he still had the ability to draw crowds . However , he was sent off at Tonbridge for violent conduct in his second match , and never played again . Style of play . Trautmann excelled at shot - stopping , particularly penalties , saving 60 % of those he faced over the course of his career . The Manchester United manager Matt Busby mentioned Trautmann ' s anticipation in his pre - match team talks : " Don ' t stop to think where you ' re going to hit it with Trautmann . Hit it first and think afterwards . If you look up and work it out he will read your thoughts and stop it . " Similar sentiments were expressed by the Manchester City forward Neil Young , who recalled that " the only way to beat him with a shot in training was to mis - hit it " . As a former handball player , Trautmann was adept at throwing the ball long distances , an attribute he used to start attacking moves , particularly after witnessing the Hungarian goalkeeper Gyula Grosics use such tactics to good effect in Hungary ' s 6 – 3 victory over England in 1953 . Trautmann found it difficult to accept criticism , and allowed only close friends to suggest changes to his game . He occasionally dwelt on mistakes to the detriment of his concentration , a tendency his friend Stan Wilson called " picking at daisies " . A short temper also caused occasional problems ; he was sent off on more than one occasion . Coaching career . After a couple of months pondering his future career plans , he received a telephone call from the Stockport County chairman , Victor Bernard , who offered him the position of general manager . Stockport was a struggling lower league club with a small budget , and Trautmann ' s appointment was an attempt to improve its image . Many people in the local area supported one of the two Manchester clubs , so to stimulate interest Trautmann and Bernard decided to move matches to Friday evenings , when neither Manchester club would be playing . This improved revenue , but the team continued to struggle . Trautmann resigned in 1966 following a disagreement with Bernard . From 1967 to 1968 , he was the manager of the German team Preußen Münster , taking them to a 13th - place finish in the Regionalliga West , following which he had a short spell at Opel Rüsselsheim . The German Football Association then sent him as a development worker to countries without national football structures . His first posting was in Burma , where he spent two years as the national coach , qualifying for the Olympics in 1972 , and winning the President ' s Cup , a tournament contested by south - east Asian countries , later that year . His work subsequently took him to Tanzania , Liberia , Pakistan and Yemen , until 1988 , when he retired and settled in Spain . Legacy and influence . Over the course of his career , Trautmann received many plaudits from leading football figures . The Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin , himself considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time , believed that Trautmann and himself were the " only . . . two world - class goalkeepers " . Trautmann ' s idiosyncratic style of play also had an influence on budding young goalkeepers at the height of his career . The former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson names Trautmann as his boyhood hero , and Gordon Banks cited him as an influence on his playing style . Media outlets have since recognised Trautmann ' s reputation , with Trautmann placed unofficially as the 19th greatest goalkeeper of all - time by the " Daily Mail " . ESPN consider Trautmann as one of the greatest FA Cup goalkeepers , with Trautmann representing Manchester City in two consecutive FA Cup finals in 1955 and 1956 while his lunge at Peter Murphy ' s feet to grasp the ball in the 1956 FA Cup Final is rated as the greatest FA Cup save – a save that broke Trautmann ' s neck . In November 1995 , Trautmann returned to Maine Road to open the rebuilt Kippax Stand . However , the stand was gone within a decade : in May 2003 the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium , Maine Road was closed and its stadium demolished the following year . Awards . In 1997 Trautmann received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany . He was appointed an honorary OBE in 2004 for his work in Anglo - German relations , and received the award at the British Embassy in Berlin . The following night , at a concert given by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , he met the Queen . " Ah , Herr Trautmann . I remember you , " she said . " Have you still got that pain in your neck ? " In 2005 , he was inducted into the National Football Museum ' s Hall of Fame . He continued to follow Manchester City and visited Manchester to watch them play , as recently as April 2010 . Trautmann said during his visit , " I watch all City ' s games on TV , they ' re still my club " , and added , " I love England too and still shout for them – even if they ' re playing Germany ! " In 1999 , he had also appeared in the BBC " Timewatch " programme episode " The Germans We Kept " , recounting the experiences of German prisoners of war who decided to remain in the UK . Personal life . Trautmann married a Manchester woman , Margaret Friar , in 1950 , but they divorced in the 1960s . The couple had three children , John , Mark and Stephen . John , his firstborn son , was killed in a car accident a few months after the FA Cup Final in 1956 , aged five . According to Trautmann , his wife ' s struggle to come to terms with the loss ultimately resulted in the breakup of their marriage . He also had a daughter from a previous relationship from whom he was estranged for many years . He married Ursula von der Heyde , a German national , while living in Burma in the 1970s , but divorced in 1982 . From 1990 , Trautmann lived with his third wife Marlis in a small bungalow on the Spanish coast near Valencia . He since helped found the Trautmann Foundation , which continues his legacy by fostering courage and sportsmanship . Death . Trautmann died at home in Spain on 19 July 2013 at the age of 89 . He had suffered two heart attacks earlier in the year . The president of the German Football Association , Wolfgang Niersbach , said that Trautmann was " an amazing sportsman and a true gentleman . . . a legend " . Bob Wilson , a former Arsenal goalkeeper , tweeted , " Amazing man who helped bring our warring countries closer together " . Joe Corrigan , a former Manchester City goalkeeper , said Trautmann was " a fantastic man and was one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time " .