For Victor Boniface, travelling tastes really good. The road towards success led him through Nigeria, Norway, Belgium and Germany. A tremendous journey for the 22-year-old football player, who is currently leading the German league with Bayer 04 Leverkusen before clubs like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
The Nigerian youngster was first an Akure kid raised in the Ondo State, also nicknamed the Sunshine State due to its proximity with the Atlantic Ocean. This territory from South-West Nigeria is famous for its mangrove swamps and the biggest city, Akure, attracts people from all over the region to work in the cocoa and oil industry. For young Victor Boniface still, the goal was to play football: in 2019, he was spotted by a scout from Norwegian club FK BodØ/Glimt. The journey was beginning.
Boniface spent four seasons in Northern Norway and won the league in 2020 and 2021. His performances urged Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise to propose him a long-term contract in 2022: spending only one year in Belgium for 51 games played, 17 goals and 11 assists, the youngster joined Bayer Leverkusen this summer for 20 million euros.
In Germany, the Nigerian forward did not spend a long time to be productive and efficient: while Bayer is running the league right now, Boniface has already been scoring 7 goals for 5 assists in 12 games of German league. And in Europa League, the second European competition after the Champions’ League, he scored 4 goals in 5 games. Coached by former Spanish international Xabi Alonso (who played for Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern…), Victor Boniface seems to bloom in a team that was not expected to perform so well and determined still to make life harder for Munich, Dortmund and other big German clubs.
Boniface’s performances also allowed him to taste the joys of playing for one’s country. He was summoned to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in 2023, a team that can already rely on strikers like Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon. Good news for Nigeria, since the African Cup of Nations is approaching with large steps.