West Ham United Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo’s journey from the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe to the Premier League has been recognised at the 2025 Best of Africa Awards.
Nuno was presented with the Outstanding Management Award for his achievements in English football. He led Wolverhampton Wanderers to promotion to the Premier League and into Europe, before taking Nottingham Forest into the UEFA Europa League, then became West Ham’s first African Head Coach or manager in September this year.
The Best of Africa Awards was founded in 2011 to support and celebrate African-owned philanthropic endeavour as well as to draw attention to the remarkable contribution of Africans in the United Kingdom, with a focus on music and sport. Its CEO is Aisha Hughton, the daughter of Forest Gate-born former West Ham defender Chris Hughton, who is himself the son of a Ghanaian father.
Nuno was born on São Tomé, an island on an archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, in 1974 and lived there until he was seven years old, when his family relocated to Portugal.
For Nuno, who enjoyed a long career as a goalkeeper before coaching in Portugal and Spain and joining Wolves in 2017, his heritage is something that will always be important to him.
“I believe that things are possible,” he said, referring to the impact his upbringing has had on his ambition. “We are talking about São Tomé that, honestly, it reflects me as a person, as a character, where I come from, my roots, which I'm very proud of.
“It was about freedom, it was about no responsibilities. I lived there, and my house was ten metres from the beach, so I didn’t have any cares.
“In that moment, I think there was only one car that came around seven o'clock which was my neighbour’s. That was the only moment that my Mum called me and my grandmother called me that I have to go inside because of the danger of the car!”
While Nuno has fond memories of his early childhood, he says it has had little bearing on his career in football.
“I use more of my big box of many years of experience as a manager, as a footballer,” he explained. “I've been in football since I was 15, so it's been a while. So I have a big box that I keep throwing things inside of that, all of the moments, but it doesn’t go back to São Tomé.
“In terms of football, and to address this particular and challenging situation, my childhood, it doesn't help me.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Nuno on being recognised at the Best of Africa Awards.
