Good Death by name, lethal by skills: former Premier League star on the mission to take Guinea-Bissau to World Cup
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 19.03.24. | 13:41
Luis Boa Morte, currently the assistant coach at Fulham, will take over the West African country's national team in a few months
The old-school English Premier League fans surely remember Luis Boa Morte. The magnificent Portuguese striker spent two low-profile seasons with Arsenal at the end of the 90s before moving to Fulham, where he became not only a mainstay but one of the lethal strikers in the EPL of that time.
Boa Morte (his surname in Portuguese means a 'Good Death') scored 54 goals for the Cottagers in 250 appearances for the club. He would later join West Ham United, and after a stint at South African Orlando Pirates, Boa Morte ended his playing career at Chesterfield.
📅 #OnThisDay in 2006, Luis Boa Morte scored the winner against Chelsea! 👏 #FFC pic.twitter.com/8EHUdLj67m
— COYWhites (@COYWhites_com) March 19, 2024
The former Portuguese international (1 goal, 28 appearances) joined Marco Silva's coaching staff at Fulham in 2021 and has been there ever since.
However, on Monday night, the club announced that Boa Morte would leave his role as Fulham's first-team coach at the end of the season to take over as Guinea-Bissau manager.
"Everyone at Fulham would like to thank Boa for his efforts since his return to the Club, and wishes him the best of luck in this next chapter when he departs following our season finale away to Luton Town," Fulham said in a statement.
Luis Boa Morte will leave Fulham at the end of the season to take up a position as Head Coach of Guinea-Bissau.
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 18, 2024
Thank you and good luck, Boa! 🤍
Guinea-Bissau has made four Africa Cup of Nations appearances (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023), all under the guidance of the current national team boss, Baciro Cande. Still, they've never reached the AFCON knockout stage and were so unlucky to be drawn to the same group with future AFCON champions Ivory Coast and runners-up Nigeria in the latest edition of the continental tournament.
The Djurtus are also far from qualifying for their first-ever FIFA World Cup. After two opening rounds of the 2026 WC Qualifiers, they are tied with Burkina Faso for second place in Group A, with four points out of two games, behind the table-toppers Egypt.
The group winner will directly qualify for the World Cup, and the runner-up could compete in the play-off to advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
