For such a young man born in the year 2000, with little experience, Victor Boniface has gone through so much in his short playing career to make him understand the difference between stardom and failure. This Bayer Leverkusen FC, Germany player, currently enjoys rave reviews across different football media but has played just about 120 official football games in his entire career.
Despite being born in Nigeria and growing up to his teenage years, he never played for any reputable local side (Real Sapphire FC) before taking his flight to Europe! His quality was convincing enough for him to achieve the goal he set for himself. He got signed by Bodo/Glimt FC of Norway, after less than 45 minutes of match trials! Fortunately for him, he got the worse before his present rollercoaster, as he tore his ACL. He talked about staying injured, getting quite depressed leaving Europe and returning to Nigeria, losing his mother, and wallowing in the emptiness of life!
Providence availed him another opportunity and he joined Union Saint Gilloise, of Belgium and gradually got his football to full blast. He scored six goals in their Europa campaign where they got knocked out in the quarter finals. This drew attention from other European clubs.
Journey To Stardom
In the 2023/24 Season, Victor Boniface was signed by Bayer Leverkusen for around $ 20 million and instantly began to repay their trust in him. In the week 7 of the German Bundesliga, he jointly leads the scorer's chat with the likes of Harry Kane, Bayern Munich, Jonas Wind(Wolfsburg), and Serhou Guirassy(Stuggart).
His coach Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen's managing director for sport, Simon Rolfes,, and their midfield maestro Granit Xhaka, speak about him in glowing terms. He's attributed to be a good ball carrier from the midfield and holds the ball well as the last man upfront. He’s strong on the ball, good with both feet and dribbles well.
In September 2023, he played his first senior match for Nigeria's Super Eagles in their 6-0 victory against Sao Tome and Principe; he got an assist and on 23 October 2023, scored in Nigeria's 2-2 draw with the Saudi Arabia national team. In August, he won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month and player of the month and won the September Rookie Player of the Month for the second consecutive month. He engages his Nigerian audience without any fuss on X (Twitter) and looks very down to earth!
With coach Xabi Alonso, Victor Boniface stands a very good chance to grow and learn his trade perfectly. With his current form and quality, Europe and world football heralds the emergence of another extraordinary Nigerian striker! Like his namesake, Victor Osimhen held Europe spellbound last season, Boniface is on the same path of glory!
