Cyrille Regis, born on the 9 February 1958 , was an English international footballer who played as a striker. His football career lasted almost 20 years, where he made 614 league appearances and scored 158 goals. In his early days and one of his first seasons the 75/76 season saw a 17 year old Regis move to Athenian League club Molesey, for whom he scored around 25 goals during his one season for the club.
He was then approached by Boreham Wood, but did not want join them. Instead he went on to join semi-professional Hayes of the Isthmian League, signing on the 7 July 1976 at 18. Cyrille Regis was spotted by West Bromwich Albion’s chief scout Ronnie Allen, who recommended that the First Division club should sign him.
With the West Brom directors unsure of paying a four-figure fee for such a young, unproven player, Allen offered to fund any initial payment from his own pocket. The transfer took place in May 1977, for an up-front fee of £5,000, plus another £5,000 after 20 appearances.
Regis made his first team debut in a League Cup match against Rotherham United on the 31 of August 1977, scoring twice in a 4–0 win. Three days later Regis made his league debut in a 2–1 victory over Middlesborough. Again he found the net, taking the ball from the halfway line to the penalty area before scoring with a right-foot drive.
Middleborough’s David Mills described it as “a goal of sheer brilliance”. Regis also scored on his FA Cup debut in January 1978, helping West Brom to beat Blackpool 4–1. He scored 112 goals in 297 appearances for West Brom before moving to Coventry, winning the FA Cup with the Sky Blues in 1987.
After retiring from playing, Regis worked in a variety of coaching roles before becoming an accredited football agent with Stellar Group Ltd. In 2004, Regis was voted as West Bromwich Albion’s all time Cult Hero in a BBC Sport poll, gaining 65% of the vote. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. Regis unfortunately passed away due to a sudden heart attack in 2018.
Regis was a true legend of the sport, being one of the first black players to become well known and make it and will never be forgotten amongst West Brom folklore.
