Bert Trautmann

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Bert Trautmann
Trautmann.jpg
Personal information
Full name Bernhard Carl Trautmann
Date of birth 22 October 1923 (1923-10-22) (age 89)
Place of birth Bremen, Germany
Playing position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1949 St Helens Town 43 (0)
1949–1964 Manchester City 508 (0)
1964 Wellington Town 2 (0)
Total 553 (0)
Teams managed
1965–1966 Stockport County
1967–1968 Preußen Münster
1968–1969 Opel Rüsselsheim
1972–1974 Burma
1975 Tanzania
1978–1980 Liberia
1980–1983 Pakistan
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Bernhard "Bert" Carl Trautmann OBE (born October 22, 1923) is a former German football player. He played from 1949 to 1964 for Manchester City as the keeper. Trautmann is in Germany nearly unknown and had never played in the national team of his country. But in Manchester, he's until today one of the most popular player.

Bert Trautmann was born at October 22 in 1923. He began playing football at age 10, when he was 18 he had to go to do his military service for the German Nazi-Regime. The paratrooper was first imprisoned by the Sowiet, later by the British army. He did not left the island after his shank and became a professional football player.

After some years he went to Manchester City. In the first time, the fans hate the "Nazi boy". But after the 1956 FA Cup final, the fans accept Trautmann as a good player for their team. At the 75th minute of this game, Trautmann was hit by a player from Birmingham. The crash broke his neck, but Trautmann finished the game. Today it's often called a medical miracle that Trautmann did not die at this day.

Just a few days after the game his five years old son died in a car crash. In 1950 he had married the first time, in 1990 again. In the year 2004 he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II.