As he prepares to take part in the World Cup finals for
the first time with Trinidad and Tobago this summer, Shaka Hislop
has put his name to a new book celebrating the evolution of
Caribbean football.
World Class tells the surprising story of the Caribbean's contribution to international football, looking at previous World Cup competitions that have featured teams from Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica.
It also shows how a legion of Caribbean-born players have made their names in Britain, Europe and further afield. From West Ham United's own Clyde Best in the 1970s to such present-day stars as Lilian Thuram, Pascal Chimbonda and Dwight Yorke, the Caribbean has been a conveyor belt of footballing talent.
As Shaka writes in his foreword, "football can be everything to us... it's how we identify ourselves." Written by long-time West Ham fan James Ferguson, World Class shows how a small part of the world, usually associated with cricket rather than football, is a serious force in the Beautiful Game.
World Class is available in bookshops, priced
£12.99 and illustrated in colour throughout, but we have three
copies to give away to Hammers fans who can answer the following
question correctly:
Which was the first Caribbean team to play in a World Cup
finals competition?
THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.