The Portuguese international was Alan Curbishley's first signing as West Ham United manager, when he moved from Fulham in January 2007 for a fee reported to be in the region of £5m.

That saw the Boleyn Ground become the Lisbon-born flanker's third London home after he had previously enjoyed spells at Highbury and Craven Cottage. Boa Morte - whose surname literally translates as 'Good Death' - began his professional career as a livewire left winger with his hometown club, Sporting Lisbon. After spending a loan spell with junior club, SC Lourinhanense, he was then spotted by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger representing his country in an Under-21 tournament.

Wenger made Boa Morte one of his first acquisitions, when he paid £1,75m to bring the 19-year-old to England in June 1997 and Boa Morte - who made his debut as a late substitute in a 3-1 win at Southampton two months later - had a dream start to Premiership life, winning a title medal during his first year at Highbury.

Boa Morte went on to score four goals in 40 league and cup appearances for Wenger in two seasons, but after growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities, he was signed by Dave Jones at Southampton in a £500,000 deal in August 1999.

After making his debut in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday later that month, he discovered that the New Year arrival of Glenn Hoddle in The Dell hot-seat suddenly restricted his first-team opportunities. Having scored just one goal in 17 league and cup outings for the Saints, he duly marched out on loan to Fulham at the end of the season and after making his Cottagers' debut in a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, he was soon impressing new boss, Jean Tigana, with a 21-goal haul in Fulham's championship-winning 2000/01 campaign.

Those strikes helped Fulham to storm into the Premier League with an incredible 101 points and Boa Morte duly celebrated by completing a permanent £1,7m transfer from Southampton.

Certainly, his blistering form had not gone unnoticed at home, either, and he won his first full cap for Portugal in a 4-0 defeat by France in April 2001, after stepping from the Stade de France bench with just 35 minutes gone and his country already trailing by three goals.

Establishing himself as a firm favourite among the Fulham fans, the barnstorming Boa Morte, who subsequently became the club captain following the departure of Lee Clark, was voted Player of the Year in 2004/05.

On the international front, he was called into the Portuguese squad that beat England on their way to the 2006 World Cup semi-finals in Germany and he won his 25th cap as an 80th-minute replacement for Luis Figo in a 2-1 Group D victory over Mexico.

Following a six-and-a-half-year stay down by the Thames, where he scored 54 goals in 250 league and cup outings for Fulham, Boa Morte moved eastwards along the river to join West Ham in January 2007.

An impressive debut in the FA Cup third round win against Brighton and Hove Albion saw him create the first two goals in our 3-0 victory and, after vying for the left-wing berth with Matthew Etherington, he opened his Hammers' account in the crucial 3-0 win at relegation-rivals Wigan Athletic three months later.