MANCHESTER CITY GOALKEEPER Joe Hart paid a fitting tribute to the late Bert Trautmann before his side’s Premier League opener against Newcastle United this evening.
Trautmann, who was a Germam prisoner of war in WW2, made 545 appearances for City between 1949 and 1964, famously playing on in the 1956 FA Cup Final with a broken neck. Hart’s City teammates also wore jerseys bearing the German’s surname.
The former City goalkeeper passed away in July and the club had always intended on staging a tribute at their first home game of the season. The official match programme has a 16-page pull-out tribute to the goalkeeper and a wreath laying ceremony took place an hour before kick-off.
A minute’s applause rang out at Eastlands just before kick-off, led by City’s captain for the evening, new signing Jesus Navas.
The jerseys will be auctioned at a later date and proceeds donated to the Trautmann Foundation.
City hit the front early in the first half when David Silva headed home. TheScore.ie will have a full match report and post-game reactions at the conclusion of tonight’s fixture.