A fierce competitor off the pitch and a keen bird-watcher off it; Sir Trevor Brooking reveals a very different side to West Ham United legend Billy Bonds.
The Hammers’ all-time record appearance maker passed away in late-November last year, leaving behind a legacy arguably no player in the club’s entire history can match.
After joining from London neighbours Charlton Athletic while England were still world champions, Billy Bonds would go on to play nearly 800 games for West Ham United, captaining his beloved club to FA Cup success both in 1975 and 1980.
Billy Bonds was voted West Ham’s greatest-ever player in 2018. Who is your favourite all-time Hammers star?
Billy Bonds’ achievements at West Ham United
779 first-team appearances
61 goals
Two-time FA Cup winning captain
Football League Second Division champion
European Cup Winners’ Cup runner-up
Four-time Hammer of the Year winner
Received an MBE in 1988 for services to football
Took West Ham to the Premier League for the first time as manager in 1993
Received the club’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013
Voted West Ham’s greatest-ever player in 2018
East Stand of the London Stadium named the Billy Bonds Stand in 2019
Sir Trevor Brooking, fourth on that all-time appearance list, is spoiled for choice really when it comes to iconic former teammates, from Frank Lampard Sr to Alvin Martin and Tony Gale.
Speaking to West Ham Fan TV via their YouTube channel, though, Brooking admits that Bonds will forever sit at the summit as far as he is concerned.
Sir Trevor Brooking recalls the brilliance of Billy Bonds at West Ham United
“Everyone talks about the players I played with – England and West Ham or whatever – but if anyone ever asked me who was my favourite player, it would have to be ‘Bonzo’!,” says Brooking, who scored the winning goal at Wembley in West Ham’s most recent FA Cup triumph 46 years ago.
Billy Bonds - West Ham United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images
“We got him from Charlton when he was a right-back. When he came to the club, we soon sussed out pretty quick that he might be more useful in the midfield, and I thought he might be more useful near me in the midfield as well!
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“He came in as a right-back, and Harry Redknapp was in front of him. After a few months, he’d spoken with the coaches and they decided we’d move him into midfield. So, he came into midfield alongside me.
Brooking says ‘Bonzo’ was a ‘total opposite’ off the pitch
Brooking reflects fondly on a nickname he picked up following a trip to the USA. If he was the ‘Boog Powell’ of Upton Park – a moniker he picked up in relation to former Los Angeles Dodgers baseman – then Bonds was West Ham’s mitt-carrying ‘catcher’.
“In those days, I was an attacking midfielder and so was one of the people that the opposition always seemed to keep their eye on. For the first 10 or 15 minutes, they would kick me up in the air a bit and see whether I fancied joining in for the remaining 75 minutes!”
“My nickname at the club was ‘Boog.’ When we went out to America, there was a baseball player called Boog Powell. Boog Powell was a well-known player who hit a lot of home runs, but he wasn’t always the quickest to get around! What the comparison was, I had no idea…
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Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates the win after the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United at Craven Cottage in London, England, on March 4, 2026.
“I was well-known within the club as ‘Boog.’ So when Bonzo came in, he was my minder in midfield,” jokes Brooking, who spent many an hour on the club coach pretending to share his teammates Ornithological obsession.
“He was the individual that just didn’t like getting the spotlight. He was a fantastic captain. Bonzo came in [after a game], had a bath, got dressed, and he was out the door before 5 o’clock. Didn’t do interviews, just got in his car and off he went! He didn’t like interviews. That was him as an individual.
“We travelled around by coach in those days and he used to chat to us. He had this weird habit of pointing to things out of the coach. He’d tell me what this bird was – but the one in the trees. Not a bird!
“He knew exactly what type of bird it was. He kept rambling on about all these birds! I had to show my interest, but he knew them!
“Bonzo was like a total opposite to the person that most people would have seen him as. He was just a lovely fella.”
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