Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Wed 28 January 2026 17:59, UK

Clyde Best is no doubt a massive West Ham hero after overseeing a fantastic stint at the East London club between 1968 and 1976.

The Bermudian striker became a fan favourite at Upton Park as he made 218 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers, scoring 58 times.

Best was one of the first black superstars of the top-flight of English football, and upon his departure from West Ham, he left as one of their greatest goalscorers.

Since retiring, Best has continued to associate himself with West Ham, and recently backed Nuno Espirito Santo to keep them afloat.

Now, the Hammers hero has looked back at an iconic game against Tottenham, where the Irons became the first English top-flight team to field three black footballers as they beat their London rivals 2-0.

Clyde Best: We blew Bill Nicholson away with Tottenham victory

West Ham are no strangers to overcoming Tottenham. However, their victory over Spurs in March 1972 created history.

Best, alongside Ade Coker and Clive Charles, became the first time three Black players appeared in the same English top-flight team.

The trio were quick to show why they were on the pitch too, with Coker finding the net during the 2-0 victory.

📸 All-time great Clyde Best was back in east London today#COYI #WHUHUL pic.twitter.com/HkO38xCD2f

— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 17, 2016

Looking back on the game, Best exclusively explained to Football Insider at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa in Bermuda how he and his teammates blew away former Tottenham boss Bill Nicholson.

He said: “In that game against our friendly neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, I’ll never forget it. They had all these big stars: Jimmy Greaves, Allan Mulery, Pat Jennings. And here we are, a bunch of nobodies. 

“But on that day, we showed them and sent them home very disappointed. We showed them how to play the game.

“I must say, respect to Bill Nicholson because he came into the dressing room and said he’d never seen a bunch of players play like that.

“Ron Greenwood appreciated players who knew what to do when they had the ball, and we were brought up that way.

“Thank god for West Ham. Thank god for people like Ade and thank god to Bermuda, because this is where it all started.”

Ade Coker: Best should have a statue

There is no doubt that Best is arguably the greatest footballer Bermuda has ever produced.

His talent and quality in England helped paved the way for more black footballers to make their way onto the field and become stars in their own right.

As a result, it is of little surprise that US filmmakers are set to release a documentary about the striker in 2026.

Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story will premiere in London in March, chronicling the life of Best and his amazing journey at Upton Park.

Documentary narrator Tony D Head called it the “greatest story I’ve ever read”, not knowing why it isn’t talked about more.

However, what Coker was quick to highlight was how surprising it was that a player of Best’s talent did not have a statue in Bermuda.

Speaking to Football Insider at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, he explained: “I stepped out of the airport to the taxi and my thought was, ‘where is the statue?’. Why hasn’t this man got a statue?

“I kid you not, I honestly was disappointed because, in my opinion, this man is the greatest thing to happen to Bermuda in a long, long time.”

Tickets for the London showings of the documentary are priced between £35-£45 and can be purchased from the Sadlers Wells website and the Clyde Best story website.