Victor Boniface: Who is Nigeria and Leverkusen’s in-form striker?

The Super Eagles striker has found a fantastic start to his career at Leverkusen.

At just 22 years old, Nigerian striker Victor Boniface is taking the Bundesliga by storm, making an electrifying start to his career at Bayer Leverkusen. With nine goal involvements in his first seven Bundesliga games, including awards like Player of the Month and two Rookie awards, Boniface has quickly become one of the league’s most promising players.

Career Path

Hailing from Nigeria, Victor Boniface began his football journey with Real Sapphire in his homeland. He then made his mark on the European stage with Norwegian top-flight side Bodo/Glimt, where he notched an impressive 23 goals and eight assists in 66 games between 2019 and 2022. This success earned him a move to Belgian first division team Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer of 2022.

At Union Saint-Gilloise, the 6’2″ forward continued his goal-scoring prowess, even netting a hat-trick on his debut in a UEFA Champions League qualifying game. In total, he contributed 22 goals and 12 assists in 55 competitive appearances for the club. Boniface’s excellence shone in the Europa League, with two goals and two assists against Union Berlin and a goal against Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.

Promising Start at Bayer Leverkusen

Boniface’s journey took him to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, where he immediately made an impact. He scored on his debut in the DFB Cup and provided an assist in the Bundesliga, following it up with back-to-back braces in his next two Bundesliga outings. These stellar performances earned him his first Nigeria cap in a 6-0 victory over Sao Tome and Principe in September 2023.

In a remarkable achievement, Victor Boniface became the first player since Erling Haaland in January 2020 to win both the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month awards in the same month, collecting both for August 2023. He added the September Rookie award to his collection, with another brace against Heidenheim.

Playing Style

Victor Boniface’s playing style draws comparisons to the legendary Robert Lewandowski. He is an all-round center forward with a strong presence on the field.

“Victor’s a real problem for opposition defences. He’s powerful, quick and makes runs from deep. He has a good mentality and works for the team, not for himself,” Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso said of the Super Eagles star.

Equipped with good dribbling skills, physical prowess, and the ability to use both feet effectively, Boniface is a well-rounded striker. His clever movement and the knack for losing his marker also resemble the qualities that have made Lewandowski a standout player in the Bundesliga.

Statistics and Accolades

Boniface’s stats speak volumes about his abilities. He finished as the joint-top scorer alongside Marcus Rashford in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League campaign, netting six goals in 10 games. In recognition of his exceptional performance, he was named in the competition’s official Team of the Season, alongside his new teammate Jonathan Tah.