Legend is a word that can be thrown about too freely in this day and age. Among some West Ham fans, however, this has created a sense of reluctance to attach the label to players whose contributions to the club’s modern history could certainly be seen as deserving of such recognition.

When the word legend springs to mind, even as a younger fan there are players who came long before your time for whom you know that label is universally accepted, the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and Paolo Di Canio among many others. Looking at players from more recent years, however, names such as Mark Noble, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell or even Jarrod Bowen tend to spark far more debate over whether the legend tag is justified.

The suggestion that the word legend should not be thrown around lightly is a completely valid argument. In most instances, players labelled as West Ham legends earned such recognition during arguably the club’s most successful era in which the Hammers won four major trophies over a 16 year period.

It’s the context that naturally creates difficulty when judging West Ham players of the modern day. Between lifting the FA Cup in 1980 and that famous night in Prague almost three years ago, the Hammers went more than 40 years without winning a major trophy. In such a lengthy period without having lifted a major honour, the criteria for what is deserving of being called a “legend” naturally becomes more complicated.

Players who represented the club during a period in which it more regularly competed for silverware are naturally viewed with a certain reverence. It is therefore no surprise that their legendary status has remained untouchable for decades and will continue to for generations to come.

If major honours alone are the defining benchmark in these conversations, then the club would not have produced a single “legend” in more than 40 years. That would ignore the wider context and risk discrediting players whose service, influence and contributions have left a genuine mark on West Ham in the modern era.

Players such as Mark Noble, whose 550 appearances through relegation battles, rebuilds and European runs, as well as seven years wearing the captain’s armband, defined his 18 years of stellar service to the football club. Michail Antonio is one of only two players to have recorded more than 100 Premier League goal contributions for the Hammers, becoming the club’s leading top flight goalscorer and surpassing Paolo Di Canio’s record by more than 20 goals.

Aaron Cresswell’s longevity saw him become one of the club’s most consistent servants of the modern era and, without doubt, one of West Ham’s best full backs of the Premier League era. Like Antonio, he was also a part of the Conference League winning squad. Current club captain Jarrod Bowen, one of the Hammers’ best Premier League signings and certainly the club’s most consistent goalscorer in many years, is forever etched into the history books for that winning goal in Prague.

Of course, hailing a player as a legend is something that should never be done lightly. That being said, a player’s legacy in the game is shaped by the era it is created in. As a football club, the landscape of West Ham’s modern history is vastly different to that which helped produce some of the club’s most beloved icons.

In a period less defined by silverware but shaped by loyalty, leadership, longevity and defining moments, there are a number of modern players who have carved out legacies that deserve recognition. Their contributions should be celebrated and held in the appropriate esteem without controversy.

The modern era of West Ham has already created its own heroes. Their trophies may be fewer, but viewed through the necessary context, West Ham’s modern heroes are worthy of legendary status.