Government backbencher Randy Horton called for Clyde Best to be knighted as he led praise for the trailblazing footballer in the House of Assembly yesterday.

"I don't think we have had an athlete in Bermuda that's been called a Sir yet but I think, down the road, if there's anyone who deserves that, it's Clyde (Bunny) Best. One day we will have a Sir Clyde (Bunny) Best," said Horton, a former star of the North American Soccer League himself.

Horton, a former Sports Minister, said sometimes people don't understand what an impact Best made playing for West Ham United alongside legends such as World Cup winners Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore – both who have been knighted.

He said famous black players who followed Best into the English game — naming John Barnes, Cyrille Regis and Viv Anderson — would all cite the Bermudian as their inspiration.

"Clyde was the black player who led the way for all blacks to follow in the UK," he said.

Horton, who said he taught and played with the footballer, pointed to the injustices Best had to overcome, such as name-calling from the terraces, and added that he needed to show the "maturity to lead" to earn his success.

"He wanted to be a professional footballer and he committed himself to it, and he let nothing get in the way," he told the House.

Horton was on his feet to congratulate Best, who is also a columnist for The Royal Gazette, on winning the football award at the Annual Caribbean Awards Sports Icons ceremony last week.

Several other MPs followed Horton with praise for Best, including United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan and former Opposition leaders Wayne Furbert and Grant Gibbons, and Works Minister Derrick Burgess, who said he went to school with Best.

Veteran UBP MP John Barritt said Best's story needed to be told all over the world.

"History will record that he was the right man in the right place at the right time," he said.

"He had the same impact that Jackie Robinson had in the US. Many a book has been written about Jackie Robinson and there's a book that's to be written about Clyde (Bunny) Best."

West End-based Progressive Labour Party backbencher Dennis Lister noted Best's Somerset roots.

"We all understand the contribution he made, not only to soccer in Bermuda but to the world," he said.

Lister said Best showed great strength and sportsmanship to become an accomplished player in spite of the hardship he had to face on the field.

Earlier this year Best's good friend and former teammate at West Ham, Harry Redknapp, praised the Bermudian striker while talking about racism in the game.

Redknapp is now the manager of Spurs and blasted a racist Stoke supporter when Spurs played them in September.

"I came in as a player at West Ham and we had it every week because we had Clyde Best who was the only black player. It was disgusting. A fantastic fellow, a great player. But, those days are over, surely to God," Redknapp said.

Bermuda Football Association president Richard Calderon also praised Best this week after the player won the football award at the Annual Caribbean Awards Sports Icons ceremony last week.

"I know that I speak for everyone at the BFA in offering our heartfelt congratulations to Clyde Best on receiving this prestigious award. I can think of no one more deserving. When I think of Bermuda Football, the first name that comes to mind is Clyde Best. Clearly this award suggest that the sporting community in the Caribbean share in this opinion.

"But as importantly, all one has to do is spend a few minutes in his company to arrive at what others already know, Clyde is much more then an ex, great football player. He is a kind, caring and humble human being, always looking for ways to assist young Bermudian football players achieve their dreams.

"When we created the Clyde Best Tournament it was our small way of thanking Clyde for all that he has done and continues to do for Bermuda football. For me, Clyde, is simply the Best."

Calderon's brother Robert who played for and coached the national team said: "As a former Tech student, I was encouraged – strongly and often – to find fault with any and all football players that attended Churchill. It was therefore difficult to confide in my classmates that I admired the sublime skills of a number of their players. My favourites being Dale Russell, Andrew Warren, Richard Simmons and the big man himself, Clyde Best.

"It was far easier to openly support these players when they wore our national jerseys and in particular during the CONCACAF youth tournament held in Bermuda in the 1960s. That team oozed class and excitement and at the top of that long list of entertainers was Clyde Bunny Best.

"My discreet admiration for players that were not part of my inner circle extended to senior football. While growing up in the Village youth system, I simultaneously, albeit quietly, supported and admired the stylish and super skillful Devonshire Colts senior team. Gary Darrell and Willis Cann were my idols and I never missed a game, however in private and after considerable therapy, I was forced to accept that the best team in Bermuda was indeed Clyde's Trojans.

"I never really knew Clyde before and during his time in the UK and the US and only got to know him personally when he returned to Bermuda and was hired by the BFA in the capacity of Technical Director. It was in this role that Clyde offered me an opportunity to return to national coaching. It was during this period that I was able to appreciate the true greatness of the man. Despite his many achievements he was always approachable and humble. Despite his detractors he remained a gentleman and a true ambassador for football and Bermuda in general. I am extremely pleased that Clyde has been acknowledged for his achievements on the football field and for granting me the opportunity to spend time in his company. Clyde is indeed the Best."

And BFA general secretary David Sabir said: "Growing up in an era of great football ambassadors, Clyde Best name resonated throughout the community. One could not help but marvel over the fact that one of our own sons of the soil had made such a tremendous and significant impact on the football landscape at a period in time when such opportunities were difficult to receive let along maintain. The magnitude of Clyde's impact on the game of football is very evident by the number of wonderfully talented black players from the Caribbean who have graced and will continue to grace the English Premier League and other top leagues in Europe. I say the award bestowed on Clyde Best is a testament to this fact and one that should be celebrated by all of us who love this great game of football!"

In January of 2006 Best received the MBE at Buckingham Palace for his services to the game and he said afterwards: "It's fantastic to be in the same company as Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst in being honoured by the Queen. When you start off your career you never expect it."

Best was a trailblazer for black footballers in the 1960s and '70s and came through the ranks to make over 200 appearances for West Ham at a time when racism was rife. He arrived in London's East End in 1968 and would go on to play alongside the likes of England World Cup trio Moore, Hurst and Martin Peters. Namesake George Best also became a close friend. Three of his former teammates have been knights – the late Sir Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking.

"I'll never forget those memories of England. To come to a country so far away from Bermuda and to play with these guys stays with you for the rest of your life," said Best.

He overcame the racism to establish himself as a powerful forward – his best season coming in 1971/72 when he scored 23 goals.

Best is also regarded as the best player in the history of the Bermudian national team, receiving his first cap at the age of 15.

Best, born on February 24, 1951, made his first team debut for West Ham in a 1–1 home draw against Arsenal on August 25, 1969. His first goal for the Hammers was in the League Cup in a 4–2 win against Halifax Town, on September 3, 1969.

He also played for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie as wellas the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Toronto Blizzard and Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League.

He was also the first sportsman to be inducted into the Bermuda National Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Of his West ham days, he said: "They were fantastic days I will never forget as long as I live. I was playing with so many great players during what I consider to be West Ham's golden age. It feels really good to say I was was part of that."

Earlier this year Best flew back to England to talk about his Hammers glory days at a show called Forever Blowing Bubbles (West Ham's cult song) and was joined by fellow ex-Irons Phil Parkes, Tony Gale and Brian Robson.

He remembered the days of constant racial heckling from opposition fans – monkey chanting and the hurling of bananas and peanuts at the pitch.

"You just had to get on with it," he said. "I just ignored it and concentrated on playing the game for West Ham. Sure, the supporters pay their money and are entitled to their opinions, but sometimes people cross the line.

"You will always come up against nutters in your life, but you can't let these people see they are getting under your skin. All you can do is just get on with your job – in my case, scoring goals – and do all your talking on the pitch."

But he said: "I never had any trouble with the West Ham fans. All I felt from them was love. East End people are good people and they will always love somebody who gives their all. I always tried my best for them.

"All football fans are the same. If you are rubbish, they will let you know about it. If you do well they will always love you. That's the game."

It wasn't until November 1978 – two years after Best left West Ham to play football in the US –Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson became the first black player to pull on an England shirt.

Of being a pioneer for black players in the English game, Best said: "It's nice when people say that sort of thing. If people think I played a part in history or inspired more black footballers, then that makes me very happy. But all I was trying to do was play football for West Ham. It was a different culture altogether, leaving Bermuda on a plane for England.

"You must also remember, this was 40 years ago and England was a different place to what it is now, with very different attitudes. Luckily, for me, I went to a family club, which looked after me on and off the pitch from day one. I had a great manager in Ron Greenwood and was surrounded by some of the best players ever.

"It took me less than a year to make the first team, starting against Arsenal in a derby at home in front of a big crowd, which I didn't let phase me. But it was an amazing time.

"Here I was, a young boy from Bermuda, an island of just 60,000 people, playing alongside all of these great players who I had watched on TV winning the World Cup for England a few years earlier. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher than the man who scored a hat-trick in the final, Geoff Hurst. He showed me how to become a target man.

"And Bobby Moore, well, he wasn't just the greatest footballer I ever played with, he was also an immense human being who never let anything go to his head."