Manchester City Legend Bert Trautmann Dies Aged 89

Started by Folami David, Jul 20, 2013, 12:09 AM

Folami David

Bert Trautmann, the German goalkeeper who won the FA Cup with Manchester City in 1956, has died at the age of 89.
.
Trautmann is best remembered for playing the final 17 minutes of City's Cup final win against Birmingham City with a broken neck.
.
He played more than 500 times for City between 1949-64, having first arrived in England as a prisoner of war.
.
Trautmann, who had survived two heart attacks this year, passed away near Valencia in Spain on Friday. Bob Wilson, the former Arsenal goalkeeper and BBC Sport presenter, paid tribute to Trautmann in an interview with Radio 5 live.
.
"I just adored what he did," said Wilson, 71. "I don't think I could have chosen a greater hero."
.
Wilson said Trautmann's bravery - "diving headlong at people's feet" - won him over, as did his "thorough decency" and "humanity".
.
Francis Lee, the former Manchester City player who later became the club's chairman, said: "He was one of the all-time great keepers.
.
"I knew Bert wasn't keeping well for the last six months but it has still come as a shock that he has passed on.
.
"I made my debut as a 16-year-old for Bolton against City with Bert in goal and I scored a header after a quarter of an hour. It convinced him, he later told me, that it was time to pack up."
.
Born in Bremen in 1923, Trautmann fought as a paratrooper in World War II before being captured on the Russian front.
.
Trautmann escaped captivity and returned to serve in France, but, after escaping from the French resistance, he was captured for a final time by the British Army and interned near Ashton-in Makerfield, Lancashire.