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Victor Boniface

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Victor Boniface
Boniface celebrating with Bodø/Glimt in 2021
Personal information
Full name Victor Okoh Boniface
Date of birth (2000-12-23) 23 December 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Bayer Leverkusen
Number 22
Youth career
0000–2018 Real Sapphire
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Real Sapphire
2018 → Lefke TSK (loan)
2019–2022 Bodø/Glimt 48 (13)
2022–2023 Union SG 37 (9)
2023– Bayer Leverkusen 32 (20)
International career‡
2023– Nigeria 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 1 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Victor Okoh Boniface (born 23 December 2000) 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.[2][3][4][5]

Club career

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Real Sapphire

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In January 2018, Boniface went on loan to KTFF Süper Lig club Lefke TSK. Boniface scored on his debut against Bostancı Bağcıl in the Cypriot Cup. After continuing his career here for a short time, he returned to Real Sapphire in July 2018.[6]

Bodø/Glimt

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Boniface signed for Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt on 4 March 2019.[7] He suffered a ligament injury only two weeks after signing for Glimt, which was said to be likely to keep him on the sidelines for the duration of the 2019 season.[8] Boniface was selected to the Nigeria U-20 squad to play the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, but had to withdraw from the squad due to injury.[9] In September 2019 he nonetheless made his league debut for the club.[10]

Union SG

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On 8 August 2022, Boniface signed a four-year contract with Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.[11] Union reached the quarter-finals of the 2022–23 Europa League. Boniface scored six goals in the competition, including a brace against Union Berlin in the round of 16, finishing as the competition's joint top scorer along with Marcus Rashford.[12]

Bayer Leverkusen

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On 22 July 2023, Boniface signed for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on a contract until 2028, and was assigned the number 23 shirt.[13] He made his Bundesliga debut as a starter on 19 August, in a 3–2 home victory over RB Leipzig.[14] The following week, on 26 August, he scored his first Bundesliga goals by netting a brace at the Borussia Park in a 3–0 away derby win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[15]

In early April 2024, Boniface recovered from an adductor injury sustained in January that year.[16] On 11 April, he netted his first goal following his return in a 2–0 win against West Ham United in the 1st leg of the Europa League quarter-final.[17] Four days later, he scored the opener from the penalty spot and provided an assist in a 5–0 win against Werder Bremen, helping his club to secure the Bundesliga title for the first time with five games to spare.[18] He eventually managed to finish his first season at the club as their top scorer in the league with 14 goals.[19]

International career

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Boniface made his debut for the Nigeria senior team on 10 September 2023, coming on in the 64th minute for Taiwo Awoniyi. He provided an assist in that match to Samuel Chukwueze.[citation needed] On 29 December 2023, he was named in the Nigerian squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.[20] However, on 8 January 2024, Boniface sustained a muscle injury which forced him to miss the African tournament,[21] and he was replaced by Terem Moffi.[22]

Style of play

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Boniface is known for his distinctive style of play. His playing characteristics include strengths in dribbling, finishing, and headed attempts, while his weaknesses lie in offside awareness, holding onto the ball, and defensive contribution.[23]

He is described as a player who likes to dribble, likes to do layoffs, and likes to play long balls. These attributes contribute to his effectiveness as a forward on the field.[24]

His background, including learning to play football in a military barracks in Nigeria, adds an interesting dimension to his journey as a footballer.

Overall, Victor Boniface's style of play is characterised by his technical abilities, goal-scoring prowess, and unique playing preferences, making him a player to watch in the world of football.[25][26][27]

Personal life

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Boniface is a Christian.[28]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 5 November 2024[29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bodø/Glimt 2019 Eliteserien 8 1 0 0 — — 8 1
2020 Eliteserien 24 6 0 0 3[b] 2 — 27 8
2021 Eliteserien 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2022 Eliteserien 15 6 5 3 10[c] 5 — 30 14
Total 48 13 5 3 13 7 — 66 23
Union SG 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 37 9 4 2 10[b] 6 — 51 17
Bayer Leverkusen 2023–24 Bundesliga 23 14 3 2 8[b] 5 — 34 21
2024–25 Bundesliga 9 6 1 0 3[d] 1 1[e] 1 14 8
Total 32 20 4 2 11 6 1 1 48 29
Career total 117 42 13 7 34 19 1 1 165 69
  1. ^ Includes Norwegian Cup, Belgian Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Four appearances and five goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International

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As of match played 11 October 2024[30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Nigeria 2023 5 0
2024 4 0
Total 9 0

Honours

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Bodø/Glimt

Bayer Leverkusen

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Victor Boniface". Bundesliga. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. ^ Akinbo, Peter (17 February 2024). "Osimhen, Boniface listed among world's best strikers". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  3. ^ Acho, Affa (23 December 2023). "FULL LIST: Osimhen, Boniface Listed Among Top 100 Best Footballers In The World". Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  4. ^ Opanuga, Jimisayo (29 December 2023). "Victor Boniface ranked 5th best signing of 2023 summer". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Victor Osimhen and Boniface ranked behind Saka, Kvaratskhelia in 100 most valuable players list". Pulse Sports Nigeria. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Türk takımlarının burnunun dibinden Avrupa zirvesine uzanan bir hayat hikayesi" (in Turkish). 24 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Victor Boniface signes for Glimt". Bodø Nu. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. ^ Nygaard, Jacob Sundblom (23 March 2019). "Victor Boniface suffers injury". Eurosport.no. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Paul Aigbogun Makes Late Change To Flying Eagles Squad For U20 AFCON – Victor Boniface Out, Pascal Durugbor In". Own Goal Nigeria. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  10. ^ Victor Boniface at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
  11. ^ "Welcome Victor Boniface". Union SG. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Victor Boniface: Who is Bayer Leverkusen's new Nigerian striker?". Bundesliga. 26 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Bayer 04 sign Victor Boniface". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 22 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Leverkusen trumpft auf und schlägt Leipzig" (in German). ZDF. 21 August 2023.
  15. ^ "3:0! Bayer Leverkusen mit Gala bei Borussia Mönchengladbach" (in German). Bundesliga. 26 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Nigeria's Victor Boniface makes triumphant return for Leverkusen after injury lay-off". SABC Sport. 4 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Moyes gives West Ham 'half a chance' in Leverkusen tie". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  18. ^ "'Incredible feeling' - Alonso toasts Leverkusen title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Boniface Bags 14th League Goal As Leverkusen Beat Augsburg To End Bundesliga Season Unbeaten". Complete Sports. 18 May 2024.
  20. ^ Olu Ibidapo, Ayodele (29 December 2023). "Peseiro names 25 players as Super Eagles seek fourth AFCON title in Cote d'Ivoire". Nigeria Football Federation. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Nigeria's injured Boniface set to miss African Cup of Nations". Reuters. 8 January 2024.
  22. ^ "CAN 2024. Terem Moffi finalement appelé avec le Nigeria pour remplacer Victor Boniface" (in French). Ouest-France. 9 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Tactics Corner: Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface setting the Bundesliga alight". bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Victor Boniface: Nigeria's Next Top Striker?". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  25. ^ Stafford-Bloor, Sebastian. "50 to watch - Victor Boniface: A rare talent who has already overcome a career's worth of misfortune". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  26. ^ Omachonu, Kelvin (3 May 2023). ""I learned to play football in the military barracks"- Hot Nigerian striker Victor Boniface". Soccernet.ng. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  27. ^ Tripathi, Saumy Deepak (14 October 2023). "Victor Boniface: Bundesliga Newest Star Is A Future Star". FootTheBall. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Victor Boniface: Bayer Leverkusen star visits his childhood friend in church on Christmas eve". Pulse Sports. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  29. ^ Victor Boniface at Soccerway
  30. ^ "Victor Boniface". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen are 2023/24 Bundesliga champions!". Bundesliga. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen battle back to beat VfB Stuttgart on penalties in Supercup". Bundesliga. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  33. ^ "2022/23 Europa League top scorers: Boniface, Rashford at the summit". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  34. ^ "2022/23 UEFA Europa League Team of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  35. ^ "Victor Boniface named November's Rookie of the Month!". Bundesliga. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Victor Boniface wins Bundesliga Player of the Month for August!". Bundesliga. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Bundesliga Team of the Season 2023/24 by EA FC 24!". Bundesliga. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  38. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface named Rookie of the Season!". Bundesliga. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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