Manchester City players hardly put up much of a fight in the FA Cup final last season.
It was a rather feeble display from the Citizens at Wembley as Eberechi Eze secured a 1-0 victory for Crystal Palace, much to the dismay of Pep Guardiola, who cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle.
The Manchester City squad would have been minded to take a leaf out of the book of Bert Trautmann in that respect – a man who made history back in 1956 after seeing out the FA Cup final despite having a broken neck.
The remarkable story of Bert Trautmann
Before we even touch upon the subject of the German and his broken neck, his story is, quite simply, a sensational one.
Trautmann was a paratrooper in the Second World War, before he was captured by the British and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire.
The man born in Bremen was later released in 1948 and refused the offer of a return to Germany, instead opting to settle in Lancashire, where he worked on a farm and also played as a goalkeeper for local side St Helens Town.
Trautmann was later scouted by Manchester City, who could sell a different German stopper in Stefan Ortega this summer, going on to make 508 appearances for the Citizens – overcoming initial backlash from fans due to his involvement in the war – but none of those 508 games were as incredible as the 1956 FA Cup final.
When rushing out to the feet of Birmingham forward Peter Murphy, Trautmann suffered a serious head injury after being struck by the attacker’s knee, which knocked him out cold.
No substitutions were available back in this time period, so, dazed and groggy, the German opted to push on and continue playing, even making several saves in the final 17 minutes to ensure Manchester City won 3-1 and secured the FA Cup.
Trautmann later admitted he played these final 17 minutes “in a kind of fog” and with his head visibly at an angle.
Even Prince Philip is said to have asked “why is your head crooked?” – according to the National Football Museum – as he handed the glovesman his medal, to which he simply replied “stiff neck” in what was an immense understatement.
It took over three days for Bert Trautmann to discover extent of his injury
Amazingly, Trautmann attended the post-match celebrations and simply went to bed as normal on that summer night back in 1956, expecting the pain to subside by the morning. When he woke, it was still there, prompting a visit to St George’s Hospital – where he was told it was merely a crick in the neck which would pass.
When pain continued to trouble the Manchester City glovesman three days later, he sought a second opinion from the Manchester Royal Infirmary, where an X-ray revealed he had actually dislocated five vertebrae.
Miraculously, the third vertebra had wedged against the second, preventing Trautmann from potentially losing his life.
He was consequently sidelined for several months of the 1956/57 campaign, not appearing until December, and later left Manchester City – who are set to sell Kyle Walker this summer – as a hero in 1964, with as many as 60,000 believed to have attended his testimonial match.
A film was even made about Trautmann’s incredible life in 2018 – titled The Keeper.
Despite initial rejection upon his arrival in Manchester, Trautmann quite literally put his life on the line for the Citizens – talk about playing for the badge.
