West Ham United confirmed that the club’s legendary former captain Billy Bonds passed away on Sunday at the age of 79.
Bonds spent more than two decades at the east London club between 1967–88, amassing a record 799 appearances. Joining a team peppered with World Cup winners from Charlton Athletic, the towering midfielder would serve as Bobby Moore’s successor as West Ham skipper from 1974.
The longest-ever reign as a captain in club history began well. Bonds marked his first campaign wearing the armband with triumph in the FA Cup. The London-born talisman remains the only captain in West Ham’s 130-year history to achieve that feat twice, inspiring the Hammers to a historic upset in the 1980 Wembley showpiece against Arsenal while they were a second-tier side.
The former player, coach and manager is survived by his daughters Claire and Katie, and granddaughters Eloise and Elissa. A statement from the family read: “We are heartbroken to announce that we lost our beloved Dad today. He was devoted to his family and was the most kind, loyal, selfless, and loving person.
“Dad loved West Ham United and its wonderful supporters with all his heart and treasured every moment of his time at the Club. He will always be in our hearts and eternally missed. We take comfort knowing that his legacy will live on forever.”
Tough Tackler and Terrific Person
A stand at West Ham’s London Stadium is named after the legendary skipper, who was immortalised by the famous chant: “6'2", eyes of blue, Billy Bonds is after you!”
The sight of Bonds’s long legs bounding towards the ball was enough to strike fear into the heart of many of a grizzled midfielder. As the enforced himself would admit, he specialised in “sorting things out with a few tasty tackles.”
“Tackling is an art,” Bonds once explained in a rare interview with the Evening Standard back in 2019. “You don’t get the contact that you did back then. You used to take a lot of hits and dish it out as well. That was accepted.”
Yet, for all his ferocity on the pitch, the character of a figure nicknamed ‘Bonzo’ cannot be overlooked.
The resolutely private Bonds would forever shirk his media duties, invariably turning them over to his long-time teammate Sir Trevor Brooking. After spending 17 years together in West Ham’s first team, the legendary England midfielder used his air time to laud Bonds for more than just his invaluable work on the pitch. “Bonzo is a top-quality individual,” Brooking once said. “I would trust him with my life.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as West Ham Legend Billy Bonds Dies Aged 79.
