Career
He was one of the first black players in First Division football in Great Britain, scoring 47 goals as a striker for West Ham United. As one of Britain"s first black football players, Best was regularly targeted with racist chanting from the terraces but eventually became a fan favourite at Upton Park. He was a strong, powerful player with the skills of the traditional English centre forward, tough to dispossess when he had the ball and good in the air.
He made his debut for West Ham in a 1–1 home draw against Arsenal on 25 August 1969 at the age of 18.
Best played 218 games and registered 58 goals for West Ham over 7 seasons between August 1969 and January 1976. Best also played in the Dutch Eredivisie for Feyenoord where he was generally viewed as a failure, scoring only 3 goals in 23 matches, and in the United States for Tampa Bay Rowdies, Toronto Blizzard and Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League.
While playing for Tampa Bay in Soccer Bowl "75, he scored an 88th minute insurance goal to secure the Rowdies" first NASL championship in a 2-0 victory over Portland Timbers. The following spring he led the Rowdies to the 1976 indoor title and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Best was also an assistant coach for the San Diego Sockers for a brief period in the early 1990s.
Best coached the national team from 1997 to 1999.
