Luis Boa Morte, a Portuguese footballer, was born on August 4, 1977 in Lisbon. Nicknamed “Boa”, he plays predominantly as an attacking wide forward, though he can also play as a conventional centre forward. He represented the Portugal national football team for the first time in April 2001 in a match against France. Luis Boa Morte was included in the Portugal squad for the 2006 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Germany and was a part of the team that made a 2-1 win over Mexico on June 21, 2006. As of August 2008, he has made 25 appearances and scored two goals for the national team.
Luis Boa Morte started his career in football by joining the Sporting C.P (Clube de Portugal) in August 1996 and was loaned to Sporting Clube Lourinhanense. He joined Arsenal football club (F.C) in 1997, becoming one of Arsène Wenger’s first signings for Arsenal. On August 23, 1997, he started off as a substitute in a clash with Southampton and went on to make 15 league appearances during the 1997-98 season. Luis Boa Morte was a part of the team that won the Football Association (FA) Premier League during the 1997-98 season and also contributed to the club’s win at the 1998 FA Cup. He was a regular member of the squad in the following season and played few matches at the European Cup, including a match against Panathinaikos on December 9, 1998, when he netted Arsenal’s third goal. On August 14, 1999, Luis Boa Morte played his final match for Arsenal as a second half substitute, in an away match against Sunderland.
Luis Boa Morte was signed for the Southampton F.C. in August 1999 by Dave Jones, the then manager of Southampton. After his trial in July 2000 at Fulham, he was transferred to Craven Cottage, the home ground of Fulham, on a season-long loan. After scoring a goal in a match against the Watford F.C. on December 28, 1999 and making 17 appearances, he completed his stint with the Saints. Luis Boa Morte joined the Fulham F.C in 2001, and in his first season with the club, he made 39 league appearances and netted 18 goals. With him in the squad, Fulham won the 2000-01 Football League Championship. Owing to his impressive performances at the League Championship, the club signed him permanently in June 2001. Though he scored only three goals in the 2002-03 season, he came back to form in the following season and maintained an average of eight goals per season. Luis Boa Morte became the captain of Fulham in August 2005 and had his major breakthrough on March 19, 2006 at the West London Derby, when he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Craven Cottage. His services to the club received plaudits, and earned him popularity among Fulham fans. The constant excitement that Luis Boa Morte gave to the Craven Cottage crowd makes him a living legend of his generation.
In January 2007, Luis Boa Morte signed a three-and-half-year contract with West Ham United and made his first appearance for the club in an FA Cup tie against Brighton. On January 13, 2007, he played in the Premier League in a match against the Fulham F.C, his former club. He scored his first goal for the club on April 28, 2007, in a 3-0 win against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium. His first goal turned out to be an important goal as it saved the Hammers from relegation.
