[4] Coming on as a substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford in only his second appearance for the club, he was almost immediately sent off for a violent knee-high challenge on Gary Neville.
[5] The press called it a "horror tackle" and suggested that Boogers was hired to injure a Manchester United player on purpose.
As his recovery was expected to take three months he was given permission by Redknapp to return to the Netherlands on 28 December in order to attend the birth of his son.
[8] In February 1996, Boogers was loaned out to Groningen for the remainder of the season, but a few days before he was scheduled to play his first match his knee problems returned and worsened, sending him back into recovery until March 1997.
He also claimed that he never saw Boogers play and that he contracted him on a whim based on a videotape where he appeared to be a world class player.
Boogers himself disputed this and claimed scouts from West Ham United attended several of his matches with Sparta before signing him.
[citation needed] In 2007 Boogers was voted number 19 in The Times' poll of the "50 Worst footballers (to grace the Premier League).