Arsenal boss was like a dad to me - but I feel much more connected to Fulham as a club

For Luis Boa Morte, Arsenal was the beginning of a dream - but Fulham became home.

When the Portuguese winger first arrived in England in the summer of 1997, he was stepping out of obscurity. Plucked from the fourth tier of Portuguese football after impressing at the Toulon Tournament, Boa Morte thought the Gunners' interest was a prank.

At the time, he was on loan from Sporting CP to Lourinhanense, a club playing miles away from the bright lights of top-tier football. “When they contacted me, I thought they were joking,” Boa Morte told Portuguese outlet O Jogo.

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“The truth is I didn’t really want to go to England; my desire was to stay at Sporting and reach the first team. But they didn’t want to review my contract at that time, and there was only that solution.”

Reluctance quickly turned to wonder when he landed in north London. Boa Morte, then just 19, found himself rubbing shoulders with stars he had only ever seen on TV - Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, the list goes on.

“I arrive at Arsenal and I’m there with David Seaman, Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright… there was a lot of quality,” he reflected. “Suddenly, I’m right there among them. These things I was not expecting and had to get used to fast.”

He had help adjusting. Manager Arsene Wenger, whom Boa Morte described as "being like a dad for me" in an interview with VAVEL, made integration a priority.

“Wenger was very important. Even before I signed, he spoke to me,” Boa Morte explained. “They had patience with me, and they helped me. I can’t complain because things went well for me.”

Boa Morte featured regularly in Arsenal’s historic 1997/98 season, which saw the club clinch the Premier League title. But he struggled to secure a regular starting spot, and by 1999, he was on the move, first to Southampton and then a year later to Fulham.

That move changed everything. “Fulham says a lot to me: for the promotion, for everything I’ve been through, and for having created a connection with the club and the fans,” Boa Morte said.

“It was very important in my growth as a player and a man. They believed in me when I didn’t count for Southampton.” Under manager Jean Tigana, Boa Morte flourished, helping Fulham secure promotion to the Premier League in 2001 and establishing himself as one of the league’s most exciting wide players.

He spent seven seasons at Craven Cottage, becoming a fan favourite. And though he has fond memories of Arsenal, Boa Morte’s strongest emotional ties remain with Fulham. “That’s where I had the most influence,” he said. “Although at Arsenal I won the Premier League, the [FA] Cup and the Super Cup, Fulham says a lot more to me.”

After leaving Fulham in 2007, Boa Morte had stints with West Ham United and abroad before retiring and transitioning into coaching. He returned as assistant to Marco Silva upon his appointment in 2021, and after three years he departed in the summer to take charge of Guinea-Bissau’s national team.

Reflecting on his journey, Boa Morte - whose former sides clash today (December 8) - is philosophical. From dreaming of breaking into Sporting’s first team to standing among Premier League legends, his story is one of reinvention, wherever his career took him.

“My idols became my colleagues, and things started to be done differently to what I was used to,” he said. “Those experiences shaped me as both a player and a person.”

Even now, Fulham remains his heart. Fans still chant his name and reminisce about his glory days with his legacy at Craven Cottage secure - proving that sometimes, home isn’t where you start but rather where you are embraced.