In spite of his club football exploits, Victor Boniface has never been lucky when it comes to international football. Aside from a 26 minute cameo in September last year, the closest he came was being in camp for the 2023 AFCON, but days to the Cote d’Ivoire party an abductor injury put paid to his dream. Despite the injury forcing him to miss 11 Bundesliga games, the 23-year-old still contributed 11 goals and nine assists in 18 league matches in Leverkusen’s run to the title.
Little wonder he was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season. However, he was still an unused substitute in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa yesterday. The big question remains when will Boniface finally become a full grown Eagle? Considering Victor Boniface’s impressive goalscoring record for Bayer Leverkusen this season, many soccer loving Nigerians are counting on him to deliver the much-needed goals in the double header world Cup qualifier encounter against South Africa and Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, and Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, respectively.
Indeed, there is another challenge before the 23-three-year old, as he must also prove that he is a worthy replacement for injured Victor Osimhen in the two matches. However, while Boniface’s club success has been remarkable, his journey with the Nigerian national team has faced some challenges. He was a key player in Nigeria’s initial FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, co.
