A cult sporting figure and one of most thrilling footballers of his generation, Vince Hilaire overcame the difficulties faced as a young black player in the 1970s to achieve an incredible footballing career spanning over 600 games. Hilaire most notably played for Crystal Palace, Portsmouth and Leeds United and was capped by England at Youth and Under-21 level. Hilaire remains a legend at Portsmouth, and was recently a place in the club’s Hall of Fame.
Hilaire documented his footballing journey in his well-received 2018 biography, Vince – The Autobiography of Vince Hilaire. One of the first black footballers to rise to prominence, Hilaire began his career with Crystal Palace when he was 17 years old. Hilarie was an integral part of the young Crystal palace side who won the Second Division championship title in 1978–79, and he went on to make over 255 league appearances for the club, his incredible footballing skill and popularity helping him to win the title of supporters ‘Player of The Year’ for two consecutive years in 1979 and 1980. A brief spell at Luton Town followed his time at Palace, before Hilaire joined Portsmouth, where the talented midfielder appeared 146 times and scored 25 goals cementing his status as a legend at the club.
Hilaire earned 9 caps for England U21s, narrowly missing out on selection for senior honours. As a trailblazer for young black players in the 1970s, Hilaire courageously fought racism in football throughout his career. His highly-acclaimed 2018 biography described the difficulties he faced duringhis playing career and also provided a fascinating insight behind the scenes of the beautiful game.
