Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann OBE (born October 22, 1923 in Bremen, Germany) is a German football goalkeeper who played for Manchester City for many years. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The river Weser flows through Bremen to the estuary at Bremerhaven. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A football goalkeeper leaves the ground to parry a shot on goal In many team ever known sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender, or goalie in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. ... Manchester City Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Manchester. ...

Biography

Youth in Nazi Germany

Trautmann was born in Bremen, where he spent his childhood and youth until 1941, when he had to start his military service. At the age of 10, he joined the football club Tura Bremen, where he played as left midfielder during the early years. The river Weser flows through Bremen to the estuary at Bremerhaven. ...

World War II: English POW

In the Second World War he was a paratrooper in western Russia. He was captured by the Russians and escaped, but was finally captured by the British. The English greeted him with the words "Hello Fritz, fancy a cup of tea?". He was brought to POW Camp 50 at Ashton, near Manchester. In football matches between two camps he always played on the right midfield, but one day they had no goalkeeper and so Bert tried it and performed very well. It was during this time he became known as 'Bert,' as the English had trouble pronouncing 'Bernd,' the abbreviated version of his name. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... An American Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ... Ashton is the only non-related girl i love!!! -jerold Australia Ashton, South Australia Ashton Searle, Western Australia Canada Ashton Creek, British Columbia Ashton, Ontario Ashton Station, Ontario Ashton, Prince Edward Island South Africa Ashton, South Africa USA Ashton, Florida Ashton, Idaho Ashton, Illinois Ashton, Maryland Ashton, Michigan Ashton, Nebraska... The City of Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in the North of England, historically notable for its central role in the Industrial Revolution. ...

A difficult start

After the war he stayed in Britain and played for the Liverpool County Combination club St Helens Town. During a friendly match against Manchester City, club officials were so impressed by him that they signed him to a lucrative contract. The fans of City, however, were not happy about having a former member of the Luftwaffe on the team. Season ticket holders threatened a boycott and various groups in Manchester and around the country bombarded the club with protest letters. Twenty thousand people demonstrated against the signing, holding banners like "Off with the German". Besides the issues with his nationality, Trautmann also was replacing Frank Swift, one of the greatest keepers in the club's history. After his first matches for City, however, the protests died when the fans discovered his talent. St Helens Town FC are an English football club, currently playing in the first division of the North West Counties Football League. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Arm or Air Weapon, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Frank Swift (December 26, 1913-February 6, 1958), was a football goalkeeper for Manchester City and England, born in Blackpool, England. ...

Golden years with Manchester City

In the years to come, Trautmann established himself as one of the best keepers in the league, and very possibly, in the world. One of Bert Trautmann's greatest matches was the legendary 1956 FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium. In the 75th minute Manchester led 3:1 and Trautmann, diving at an incoming ball, was knocked out in a collision with a Birmingham attacker when he was hit in the neck. For the remaining 15 minutes he defended his net, because at the time there were no substitutions possible. Manchester City held on for the victory, and the hero of the final was Bert Trautmann, due to his spectacular saves in the last minutes of the match. Three days later, an x-ray revealed he had a broken vertebra in his neck. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... Birmingham City Football Club are an English football club based in Birmingham, and currently play in the Football League Championship. ... Wembley Stadium is a football stadium located in Wembley, London. ... In general, substitution is the replacement of one thing with another. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ...

He appeared in 545 matches for City during a 15 year period between 1949 and 1964. He had no caps for Germany, because the German manager Sepp Herberger did not call up German players who were playing in other countries. This had been particularly frustrating for Trautmann because for much of his career he had been regarded as the world's greatest goalkeeper. He won the FWA Footballer of the Year Award in 1956 for his FA Cup heroics, and was also in the FA Cup final in 1955. In 1960, the Football League, for the first time, decided to include non-English players to represent the Football League in representative matches. Trautmann captained a star-studded team against the Irish League and he also played against the Italian League. Trautmann also played in the Manchester City team that lost in the 1955 FA Cup Final to a Jackie Milburn inspired Newcastle United team. This would have made the 1956 victory taste even sweeter. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cap (sport). ... Josef Sepp Herberger (born 28 March 1897 in Mannheim, Germany, died 28 April 1977 in Weinheim, Germany) was a German football player and manager. ... The Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award presented by the Football Writers Association to whom its members deem the best football player in England. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Manchester City F.C. is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... John Edward Thompson Jackie Milburn, (May 11, 1924 – October 9, 1988), also known to fans as Wor Jackie and the first World Wor in reference to his global fame, was a football player for Newcastle United and England. ... For the Australian soccer club see Newcastle United (Australia). ...

In 1964 he finished his career with a testimonial in front of a crowd of 60,000 people, quite a change from the crowd that initially didn't want a German. Trautmann captained a Manchester XI that included Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, against an England team that included Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and Jimmy Armfield. After the match, Bobby Charlton called him one of the greatest goalkeepers ever. Russian 'keeper Lev Yashin had this to say: 'There have only been two world-class goalkeepers. One was Lev Yashin, the other was the German boy who played in Manchester — Trautmann.' (Coincidentally, these two great keepers shared the same birthday of October 22). Trautmann is perhaps one of the most well known examples of a German who fought in the war being taken to the hearts of English people. 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... A testimonial match, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football (soccer) and especially in England, where a club puts on a match in honor of a player for service to the club. ... Sir Robert Bobby Charlton, CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won a World Cup medal and the European Footballer of the Year award in 1966. ... Denis Law (born February 24, 1940, in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a retired British football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... Sir Thomas Finney, OBE (born April 5, 1922, Preston) is a former English association footballer famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End F.C., and for his performances in the English national side. ... Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (February 1, 1915 - February 23, 2000) was a football player, often regarded as one of the greats of the English game. ... James Christopher Armfield (born September 21, 1935 in Blackpool) is a former English footballer. ... Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: ) (October 22, 1929 - March 20, 1990) was a Russian Soviet football (soccer) goalkeeper, arguably the best ever in the sport, known for his supreme athleticism in goal, imposing stature (he was 6 3, 189 cm) and amazing reflex saves. ...

Later career

After leaving City Trautmann played briefly for Wellington Town before an unsuccessful spell as general manager of Stockport County in 1965/66. From 1967 to 1969 he was manager of the German team Preußen Münster. After this, the German Football Association sent him as a development worker to countries like Liberia, Nigeria and Yemen. Trautmann remarried and has settled down in Spain (see below) and visits his old club Manchester City several times a year. He is still an idol for all generations of City supporters. Manchester City Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Manchester. ... Stockport County Football Club are an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, currently playing in League Two, after dramatically avoiding relegation to the Conference in the 2005-06 season. ... Preußen Münster is a german football club, located in Münster, Germany. ...

Private life

He married a Manchester woman in 1950, with whom he had a son, who was born in 1951 and was killed in a car accident a few months after the FA Cup Final in 1956. He was divorced from his wife in the 1960s. Since 1990 he has lived with his second wife in a small bungalow on the Spanish coast near Valencia. He has since helped found the Trautmann Foundation (http://www.trautmann-foundation.org) which aims to use his example to improve British-German relationships through football. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... This article is about the year. ... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ...

Trautmann is perhaps one of the best examples of a German who fought in World War Two and who quickly became a popular household name in England despite this. Despite the traditional rivalry between the two nations in footballing terms he has bridged the gap in a manner perhaps not matched until Jürgen Klinsmann in the 1990s. Jürgen Klinsmann (sometimes written Juergen Klinsmann) a. ...

Honours

• On 28 October 2004 it was announced that Trautmann was to be awarded the Order of the British Empire for promoting British-German understanding through football.
• He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
• Trautmann is the only player to have been named (English) FWA Footballer of the Year without ever having represented his country.

October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... The Hall of Fame is housed at The National Football Museum in Preston, England. ... The Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award presented by the Football Writers Association to whom its members deem the best football player in England. ...

Notes

• Trautmann never played for the West Germany team, because at that time, it was custom to snub players not playing in Germany, in part because of the difficulties of training. For these reasons, Trautmann missed the 1954 World Cup, which West Germany won, although he was arguably the best German keeper at the time.

Qualifying countries The 1954 Football World Cup was held in Switzerland. ...

See also

• Maurizio Gaudino and Uwe Rösler: two other German Manchester City players

Maurizio Gaudino (born 12 December 1966 in Brühl) is a retired German football midfielder. ... Uwe Rösler (born November 15, 1968) is a German footballer - born in Attenburg, East Germany (German Democratic Republic). ...

External links

• Bert Trautmann article on ESPN Soccernet
• English Football Hall of Fame