Victor Boniface
Victor Okoh Boniface, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Nigeria national team. Boniface is renowned for his pace, strength, dribbling ability, finishing and work ethic.
Victor Boniface’s style of play is characterized by his technical abilities, goal-scoring prowess, and unique playing preferences, making him a player to watch in the world of football.
Career In Numbers
Journey to Stardom
My Career Path As a Professional Footballer
Victor Boniface began his football career at a Lagos academy called Real Sapphire Academy, but the exact year is not made public.
However, in January 2018 he was sent on loan from Real Sapphire to KTFF Süper Lig club Lefke TSK. But after continuing his career in Turkey for a short time, he returned to Real Sapphire in July of 2018.
While at the Lagos academy, Boniface caught the attention of Bodo/Glimt scouts who facilitated his move along with the player’s representatives.
After impressing at Real Sapphire, Victor Boniface signed for Bodø/Glimt on 4 March 2019, his first professional contract.
Unfortunately, he suffered a ligament injury just two weeks after signing for the Norwegian side, which was said to keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the 2019 season.
After his recovery, Boniface was then selected to the Nigeria U-20 squad to play the 2019 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. However, a couple of days before the tournament, he suffered a second injury and had to withdraw from the Nigeria squad.
After his second injury recovery, in September of 2019 he finally made his league debut for Bodo/Glimt.
Boniface spent four years with the club and won two Elitserien titles (2020, 2021), scoring 23 goals in 66 games across all competitions before his move to Belgium.
With a growing reputation as a goalscorer in the Norwegian top-flight, Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on 8 August 2022 acquired his services on a four-year deal.
With Boniface, USG reached the quarter-finals of the 2022/23 Europa League with the Nigerian scoring six goals in the competition, including a brace against Union Berlin in the round of 16.
The Super Eagles forward finished as the competition’s joint top-scorer along with Marcus Rashford, but his performance against Leverkusen captivated Xabi Alonso who lured him to Germany.
By the time he left USG, Boniface had bagged 17 goals in 51 matches for the club across all competitions in his first and only season.
Victor Boniface signed for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on 22 July 2023 in a contract that runs until 2028, with the number 22 shirt assigned to him.
The Akure-born striker made his Bundesliga debut as a starter on 19 August, in a 3-2 home victory over RB Leipzig.
The following week, on 26 August, he scored his first Bundesliga goals by bagging a brace in a 3-0 away derby victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Borussia Park.
His performances that day set a chain of more scintillating performances from the former USG player who went on to win Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for four consecutive months beginning from August to November, 2023.
An unfortunate injury in December ruled him out of action for three months, but after his recovery on 11 April 2024, Boniface scored against West Ham in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final. The game finished 2-0.
On 15th April Victor Boniface scored the opener from the penalty spot against Werder Bremen in a 5-0 win. The big victory ensured that Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time in their history with five matches to spare.
At the time of writing, Victor Boniface has scored 18 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen.
Victor Boniface earned a call-up to the Super Eagles team managed by Jose Peseiro in September 2023.
He made his debut for Nigeria on 10 September 2023, coming on in the 64th minute for Taiwo Awoniyi. Interestingly, Boniface provided an assist in that match, setting up Samuel Chukwueze’s goal.
On 29 December 2023, he was named in the Nigeria squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Once again, on 8 January 2024, Boniface sustained a muscle injury which forced him to miss the tournament, and was replaced by Terem Moffi.
So far, he has played five games for Nigeria, and what could’ve been his first goal was officially credited as an own goal. At the time of publishing, Boniface is yet to score for the Super Eagles.
Honors & Achievements
My personal & Professional accolades
Club Honors
Bodø/Glimt (2 Trophies)
- Eliteserien: 2020
- Eliteserien: 2021
Bayer Leverkusen (2 Trophies)
- Bundesliga: 2023–24
- DFB-Pokal: 2023–24
Individual Honors
Club-side
- UEFA Europa League top scorer: 2022–23
- UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2022–23
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: August 2023, September 2023, October 2023, November 2023
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: August 2023
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Season: 2023–24
