Video: West Ham Historian Hails Clyde Best
West Ham United historian Tim Crane said Clyde Best’s impact on generations of Black footballers is at the heart of the documentary Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, which premiered in Bermuda.
Crane said the film traces how Best’s legacy influenced some of the biggest names in the game, many of whom feature in the production.
“I’ve been working on Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story for several years now, involved in the interviews, both here and in London and Manchester, all over the place,” Crane told Bernews at the Earl Cameron Theatre yesterday [April 21].
“We managed to get all the great Black footballers that have transformed the game themselves in their own special way, but importantly, they all go back to Clyde.”
Crane highlighted the contribution of former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright, who features prominently in the documentary.
“Some amazing talking heads in the documentary, but one stands out, and that’s Ian Wright,” he said. “The great Ian Wright says, ‘If there’s no Clyde Best, there’s no Ian Wright’.”
Crane added that Wright’s admiration for Best extended into his playing career.
“When he joined Arsenal, they gave him the number nine shirt, and he said, ‘no, I’d like to wear the number eight shirt’,” Crane said.
“They asked why. He said, ‘Because my all-time hero is Clyde Best’.”
