African footballers. Victor Boniface Rookie of The Year. Victor Okoh Boniface, the Nigerian striker for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, has been named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year.
The 23-year-old Boniface joined Leverkusen in August from the Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise and made an immediate impact, earning the Newcomer of the Month award for August, September, October, and November. His impressive performance has been crucial in Leverkusen’s record 50-game unbeaten run, during which he scored 13 goals and provided nine assists.
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Boniface’s stellar play led to his nomination for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year Award, where he emerged victorious over strong competition, including Ian Maatsen of Borussia Dortmund, Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig, and Maximillian Beier of TSG Hoffenheim.
Despite suffering an adductor injury that sidelined him for three months and caused him to miss the AFCON 2023 tournament with the Super Eagles, Boniface’s contributions have been vital to Leverkusen’s successful season. He has scored 20 goals and provided ten assists in 32 games across all competitions, helping Leverkusen in their pursuit of the Bundesliga trophy, with further ambitions in the Europa League and DFB-Pokal finals.
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Last season, Karim Adeyemi won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award, although his team, Borussia Dortmund, narrowly missed out on the league title to Bayern Munich on the final day of the season.
More about Victor Boniface
Victor Okoh Boniface, born December 23, 2000, is a Nigerian striker for Bayer Leverkusen and the national team. He joined Bodø/Glimt in March 2019 but suffered a ligament injury two weeks later, missing the 2019 season. Despite withdrawing from the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations due to injury, he debuted for Bodø/Glimt in September 2019.
In August 2022, Boniface signed a four-year deal with Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. During the 2022–23 Europa League, he scored six goals, reaching the quarter-finals and sharing the top scorer title. On July 22, 2023, he joined Bayer Leverkusen, debuting on August 19 in a 3–2 win over RB Leipzig and scoring his first Bundesliga goals on August 26 in a 3–0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Making his senior Nigeria debut on September 10, 2023, Boniface provided an assist. Named in the squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, he faced a setback on January 8, 2024, with a reported muscle injury, ruling him out of the tournament. Despite the setback, Boniface’s journey reflects resilience and a promising future in football.