Playing for the Shirt is a stunning showcase of the greatest known collection of match-worn West Ham United shirts.

The book features a beautiful array of match-worn shirts from 1951 to the present day, from the old heavy cotton shirts of yesteryear to the high-tech shirts made of lightweight, breathable fibres for today’s athletes. In hunting down these precious cotton and polyester gems, lifelong Hammers fan Mick Clifford embarked on a journey to preserve the club’s past for fans of all ages.

This eye-catching book is filled with superb photographs of worn shirts from the most famous players ever to don the celebrated East London club’s claret and blue colours – legends such as Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, Paolo Di Canio, Julian Dicks, Dimitri Payet and Mark Noble.

Playing for the Shirt captures moments in time, with a fascinating insight into how the West Ham shirt evolved. Each match-worn shirt tells a different story.

"It really is a super coffee-table type book of real quality writing and photography. Massive thought has gone into the presentation and layout… Rating: 10/10 (as I can’t give 11/10!)"

Lifelong West Ham fan Mick Clifford first visited Upton Park in the 1970s with his father. Fascinated with the club’s colours, he commenced a lifelong journey collecting the famous claret and blue shirts. He vividly recalls visiting his local sports shop in Finchley, North London, with his mother to buy his first shirt on his tenth birthday. This started him on his collecting quest, which has to date garnered almost 1,000 West Ham shirts.