Tommy Best facts for kids

Thomas Hubert Best (born December 23, 1920 – died September 16, 2018) was a Welsh professional footballer. He played as a centre forward, which means he was a main goal scorer for his team.

Tommy Best was a hero of World War II, where he served in the Royal Navy. After the war, he played in over 70 games in the English Football League for teams like Chester, Cardiff City, and Queens Park Rangers. He was also a very important player in football history. Tommy Best was the first black professional footballer to play at the top level in Ireland. He was also the first black player to play for Chester and Hereford in the Football League.

Early life and beginnings

Tommy Best was born in Milford Haven, Wales. His father was from Barbados, and his mother was Welsh.

Football career

Playing in Ireland

When Tommy Best was a teenager, he joined the Royal Navy. During World War II, he was on a ship called HMS Gloman, which was a minesweeper. One day, his ship was damaged by a German air attack and had to dock in Belfast, Ireland.

While in Belfast, Tommy's chief petty officer introduced him to local football teams. Tommy went to watch a match between Belfast Celtic and Drumcondra. Drumcondra was short of players, so they asked Tommy to play! He scored a goal in that game and impressed everyone. Soon after, Belfast Celtic offered him a contract.

During his time at Belfast Celtic, Tommy was sometimes called "Darkie Best." He later said that this nickname was meant in a friendly way. He felt very welcome and said he was never treated badly because of his skin color by his teammates or fans. At just 19 years old, Tommy Best became the first black professional player to play at the highest level of football in Ireland. He played for Belfast Celtic for one season. He also played for another Irish team, Cliftonville, and even played football in Australia when he was stationed there.

Playing in the Football League

In July 1947, Tommy Best joined Chester after a successful tryout. Because of the war, he started his professional football career a bit later, at age 26. On August 23, 1947, he scored a goal in his very first game for Chester, helping them win 2–1 against Oldham Athletic. He also became the first black player to play for Chester in the Football League.

Tommy scored 14 goals in 40 league games for Chester. After his first season, many big clubs wanted him. He decided to join Cardiff City for £7,000. This was a lot of money back then and was the most Chester City had ever sold a player for at that time.

He played his first game for Cardiff City on October 30, 1948. He played five games in a row before taking a break. Later that season, he returned and scored his first goal for Cardiff in a big 4–0 win against West Ham United. He scored six goals in the last thirteen games of that season.

In the next season, Tommy started as Cardiff's main striker and scored five goals in his first eight games. However, he later played less often. He left Cardiff City in November 1949 and joined Queens Park Rangers.

While at Cardiff, Tommy was told he might be called to play for the Welsh national team. But he was not chosen. Tommy later felt that he might have been overlooked because of his skin color. He said, "You have to remember that black players were a rarity... I'm forced to the conclusion that I was a victim of prejudice."

After playing for Queens Park Rangers, Tommy Best also played for other teams that were not in the top leagues. These included Milford Haven, Hereford United (where he played over 100 games), and Bromsgrove Rovers.

Later life

After he stopped playing football, Tommy Best worked in a bakery. He lived in Hereford with his wife, Eunice. They had three children: Jennifer, Paul, and Judy. In his later years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Tommy Best passed away on September 16, 2018, at the age of 97.