It is different from watching it on television it’s a lot faster he says

“It is different from watching it on television, it’s a lot faster,” he says. But you have to get used to it, especially when you go to the hotels on a Friday or Saturday before a match for supper.”There are few of his countrymen playing over here. “But that is only because Spain and Italy are much closer,” he says “But there, I think, it would be more difficult to play. I think so – although I think the Spanish and the English leagues are the best in the world. But it was another challenge and I was ready for it,” he says.It didn’t work out. He made 40 appearances – 26 as substitute – and although it looked as if he was finally settling, starring in an FA Cup tie at Preston, Ars? Wenger then went out and bought Davor Suker and Thierry Henry.Still, English football suited him Even if London is not exactly Lisbon.

“But I’m working here and I have to be professional,” Boa Morte says. “It is quite dry, the winter in London, and quite humid in Portugal so I would prefer to live there, of course! Other things are also completely different – the food, for example. So it’s very expensive, seven new stadiums – it’s a lot of cost for the country.”For the players, with no qualifying campaign, it has been surreal. “We are not feeling pressure, although we know we have to play for the first place, to win it,” Boa Morte explains. “We are just waiting for the draw and then after that we can look at it in a different way. It has been hard just playing friendly matches because there is not the three points, and it is difficult to play games that are not really competitive.

In friendly games people are bound to avoid some tackles.”Boa Morte, who has four brothers and two sisters, arrived in England on his own aged just 19 – only a year older than Ronaldo is now – to play for Arsenal “It was a bit difficult, a bit weird All very different from Portugal. But people are worried because they will not be used afterwards. ‘There has been massive investment in football and the economy with all the new stadiums. Then there are the teenagers, Hugo Viana of Newcastle United – Fulham’s midweek opponents – and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.The expectation in Portugal is palpable Boa Morte frowns “People are excited but they are worried as well,” he says. Team-mates know him simply as Boa, and Boa has been good, very good “We try to go like this,” he says, pointing upwards. “It’s just a few games so far, so it’s hard to say whether it’s my best season and how it is going to end.