Victor Boniface’s rollercoaster season reached its pinnacle when he netted the opening goal in a 5-0 triumph, securing Bayer Leverkusen’s maiden Bundesliga title.
The victory over Werder Bremen mirrored the club’s dominant unbeaten run throughout the League campaign.
The City of Leverkusen’s town hall has awarded honorary citizenship to Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella, and the entire renowned Bundesliga championship-winning team.
Victor Boniface holds a Nigerian passport, while Tella, in addition to his Nigerian passport, possesses a British passport, having been born to Nigerian parents in England.
The City is also exploring the possibility of naming a street after coach Xabi Alonso.
Amidst the jubilant celebration and the glory with fans flooding the pitch, the 23-year-old Nigerian striker conveyed a message to them.
“We are celebrating a great achievement in the league but we still have two other competitions (the Europa League and German Cup final) to compete in and try to win for our fans,” Boniface said.
It was fitting that Boniface began Sunday’s rout, given the way he got the ball rolling with a strong start to the season following his reported $25m (£20m) move from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise last July.
With eight goals in his initial seven games spanning three diverse competitions, he experienced another prolific period in December, scoring five goals within three weeks leading up to Christmas.
Amassing a total of 16 goals across all competitions and forming a solid partnership with club star Florian Wirtz, Boniface’s fortunes took a sharp downturn after his impressive run.
A groin injury ruled him out of the Africa Cup of Nations just days before the tournament in Ivory Coast, where the Super Eagles eventually finished as runners-up.
“Only God knows why,” he posted on social media, before telling BBC Sport Africa: “There are some things that will happen, you can’t explain it because it’s beyond your own understanding”.
The robust striker has navigated through a journey marked by various ups and downs, yet there lies a considerable stretch of track ahead for him, including a shot at the newly expanded Champions League next season. However, there are already rumors circulating about potential moves away from Germany.
At present, it’s the fans of Leverkusen and Nigeria who are celebrating his achievements, and it appears that Boniface is eager to accelerate further.
