Evan Lloyd

Fri 27 March 2026 15:30, UK

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West Ham United legend Clyde Best was the catalyst for many of the changes English football has experienced over the last 60 years.

The 17-year-old arrived in London in 1968 from a small island in the Atlantic Ocean called Bermuda, with his only focus on football.

Within weeks, he was playing in Ron Greenwood’s first team at Upton Park, and by the time he left in 1976, he had ushered in a new generation of young black footballers.

Best changed the game in England, providing a role model for later greats such as Ian Wright, John Barnes and Les Ferdinand.

That is what Dan Egan’s new documentary – Transforming the Beautiful Game, The Clyde Best Story – attempts to tell us, and it absolutely does the West Ham legend justice.

Clyde Best’s story is the best you’ve never heard of

Director Egan introduces his documentary as the most important story that you have never heard, and he has a point.

When Best arrived at West Ham in 1968, he was completely alone. A Bermudan teenager attempting to find his way in London.

It was only when he was directed to the home of Johnny and Clive Charles that he had a place to stay.

Johnny had become the first-ever black player to appear in the First Division for West Ham five years previously, and Clive would later feature as well.

Best’s tribute to both men, who both passed in the early 2000s, is touching. The forward and Clive Charles would go on to feature with Ade Coker in 1972 for West Ham – the first time an English club fielded three black players in the same starting XI.

The Bermudan forward faced extreme racism in England, and the documentary is not shy about that. Monkey chants and thrown bananas were prevalent throughout his time in the First Division.

But this is not just a story about racism, it is a celebration of the life of a man who never stopped enjoying the beautiful game.

Best’s story is a must watch

Throughout the documentary, we are shown stunning scenes of Bermuda. Beautiful white beaches, clear blue water and the sun beaming throughout.

It is enough to make anyone wonder why Best left it for the fog of London, but that is what makes this story so remarkable.

He never stopped to reconsider, he just wanted to make a name for himself as a footballer.

Best did not just succeed at that; he carved a pathway that has been walked by thousands after him, unknowingly benefiting by not playing in the conditions he did.

His story should be told across England, and Egan’s documentary is certainly the right way to do it.

You can watch Transforming the Beautiful Game – The Clyde Best Story at Sadler’s Wells East on 27-28 March by booking tickets here.