West Ham legend Clyde Best reveals motivation for both battling racism and his new documentary film
“Gordon Banks used to tell people, ‘when Clyde Best struck the ball at you, you knew the ball was struck’. Coming from Gordon, that was unbelievable.”
Everything about Clyde Best‘s story is powerful. From his shooting to the racism he suffered as he starred for West Ham United in the 1960s and 1970s, and from the impact he’s had in his home nation, Bermuda, and the legacy he not only left behind in East London, but in English football and beyond.
Best was the first black superstar of English football, and ahead of a new documentary film being released about him next year, “the best sportsman you never knew” has shown exactly why many people haven’t heard of him, but also why he really should be seen up there as the greats of the game we all live and breathe.
Movie stars aren’t exactly known for being humble, but Best, the focus of Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, premiering in London in March 2026, has showcased the humility that’s led to him being called a “gentle giant” by former teammate Ade Coker.
Clyde Best didn’t expect film to be made about his life and career
Best, now 74 years old and residing in Bermuda, was his usual humble self as he sat down to speak to the media ahead of his documentary film being released next year. He was quick to talk about his upbringing, his family, his former teammates, his old coaches and his country.
“I was brought up being told, ‘if you don’t shoot, you don’t score, and you’re not going to hit it with the inside of your foot, you’re going to hit it with your laces’. I used to try a lot of knuckle shots,” Best told West Ham Zone at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa.
“I didn’t think anything like that [someone would make a film about me].
“I’m honoured to have it done for me now because it’s not only about me, it’s about my country and the young people coming after me.
“If they get to see something like this in a documentary, it might help them.
“And if it helps them, it’s going to help my country.“
Unfortunately, one of the darkest – and most talked about – parts of Best’s career in English football was the vile racist taunts he suffered up and down the country.
Even when talking about that, Best’s message was clear. “I had a job to do,” the former Hammers striker said, when asked how he coped with being racially abused as one of the first black footballers in England.
“I was brought up over here being told, ‘you’re not playing for yourself, you’re playing for those coming after you’, and that’s the way I went about my business.“
Clyde Best’s lasting impression on former West Ham teammate Ade Coker
And those who came after Best didn’t take long to arrive.
Nigeria-born former USA international Coker joined West Ham in 1971 when he was 17 years old and later in the same year, he made his debut for the Hammers, replacing Sir Geoff Hurst in Ron Greenwood’s starting line-up against Crystal Palace.
Coker scored on his debut at Selhurst Park and credits Best for the influence he had on helping him settle down in London during an age when the game was almost exclusively played by white men.
“When you talk about a legend, here is the man, right here,” Coker told West Ham Zone.
“As a youngster, I came from Nigeria as an 11-year-old. I went to England and when I went to West Ham, it was amazing to actually see somebody that was my colour – and thank god it was Clyde.
“I looked up to him for a good reason because he was already where I wanted to be.”
When will Clyde Best’s film be released and where will it premiere?
At an event at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa on 20 November, American film producer Dan Egan confirmed Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story will premiere from 25 to 28 March at Sadler’s Wells in London.
It will then be shown in Bermuda in April 2026, before touring the USA in May and June, coinciding with the World Cup.
West Ham legends such as Harry Redknapp and Shaka Hislop star in the film, as well as Ian Wright, John Barnes, Les Ferdinand and more.
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