After a decade playing in the Netherlands, especially prolific in their second tier Eerste Divisie, Boogers joined West Ham United from Sparta Rotterdam for £1 million in July 1995, even though West Ham manager Harry Redknapp had never seen him play. 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. The press called it a "horror tackle" and suggested that Boogers was hired to injure a Manchester United player on purpose. Boogers himself claimed the wet grass made him slide too far and noted that Neville was able to finish the match, but nevertheless he was suspended for four matches. In November he returned as a substitute against Aston Villa in a 4–1 loss. He played his last match a month later, on 2 December, against Blackburn Rovers in a 4–2 defeat. He never started a league match for West Ham; all four of his appearances for the club were as a substitute.
