Clifford Sydney Bastin (14 March 1912 – 4 December 1991) was an English footballer who played as a winger for Exeter City and Arsenal.
[6] A week later Cliff Bastin scored two goals in Exeter's 5–1 home victory over Newport County, and was named man of the match.
[7] Despite only playing 17 games and scoring 6 goals in his time at Exeter,[8] he was spotted by Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman in a match against Watford.
[1][3][9] Bastin made his début against Everton on 5 October 1929[10] and was immediately a first-team regular, making 21 league and 8 cup appearances that season.
At the time, Arsenal's strategy depended heavily on their wingers cutting into the penalty box with a supply of passes from playmaker Alex James being the source of many goals as well.
[14] By the age of nineteen Bastin had won a League title, FA Cup and been capped for England, making him the youngest player ever to achieve all three.
Bastin was excused military service as he failed the army hearing test owing to his increasing deafness.
[16] Bastin's tally of 178 goals made him Arsenal's all-time top goalscorer from 1939 until 1997, when his total was surpassed by Ian Wright.
His record of 150 league goals for Arsenal stood for slightly longer, being equalled by Henry on 14 January 2006 and surpassed by him in February of the same year.
Talking before the 1934 World Cup, about Austria's chances of winning the tournament, Meisl was not optimistic, but believed they could do so if they had Cliff Bastin.
A stand at St James Park, Exeter's home ground, is named in his honour and in 2009 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.