The one everyone is talking about had nothing to say. “Next time”, Victor Boniface shouted to the reporters in the catacombs of the Leverkusen Arena after he had scored twice again in the 5-1 win over SV Darmstadt 98 and prepared another goal, and was one of the first to leave the stadium.
It’s a great contrast that surrounds this soccer player with his extraordinary skills. On the pitch, Boniface is aggressive, present and always playable. And next to it? Simon Rolfes laughs when asked: “He’s calm, doesn’t talk that much, is very relaxed,” says the sports manager of the Leverkusen team and almost seems as if he doesn’t know exactly what kind of guy he is who stands out from the already strong Bayer collective week after week in the Bundesliga.
The fact that a lot is currently revolving around him is not only due to the four goals and two assists that Boniface contributed in three games. The 22-year-old is a phenomenon because he combines a wide range of skills that can hardly be combined with each other. Perhaps you have to imagine the football field as one of the world’s oceans to better understand what makes this attacker so special.
On the ocean, Boniface would be someone who brings the power of an oil tanker, on which opponents can crash, but has the turning circle and speed of a speedboat and, with his light-footedness, also gives his game the elegance of a yacht. No wonder the Nigerian tends to be a quieter type. How are you supposed to explain that to people?
His trainer appreciates the versatility. “He doesn’t just want to enjoy the game himself like a classic bomber. He’s more complete,” says Xabi Alonso. Boniface likes to be played, which offers a lot of options, especially against teams with deep defenses like SV Darmstadt. He deftly breaks away from opposing centre-backs, calls for balls, then bounces them or turns up and passes to a free-standing team-mate on the outside.
The bargain of the summer
The ball contact statistics show how well he has integrated after just a few games with the Leverkusen team: the official Bundesliga data record assigns him 132 ball possession phases. Harry Kane, also a striker who likes to be involved in the game, has had the ball 89 times at FC Bayern. Added to this are speed and finesse, which Boniface demonstrated in the 1-0 after a 60-metre sprint. As well as his final strength under pressure like 3:1.
If you compare the transfer fees and various parameters such as age and development potential among all the strikers who switched to the Bundesliga in the past transfer period, Bayer 04 seem to have landed the bargain of the summer. The club are said to have paid around €20m to sign Boniface from Belgian top flight club Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart should not be alone at the moment with his assessment, which he expressed after the first impressions of Boniface: that instead of FC Bayern he would have signed him rather than Kane. In Dortmund, too, many may wonder why the club signed the 30-year-old national striker Niclas Füllkrug and not Boniface.
Other clubs may have been deterred by the attacker’s injury history. Because, and you have to give those who hesitated credit for that: the commitment was not without risk. The striker has already torn the cruciate ligament in the same knee twice. This remains a weak point for many professionals throughout their careers.
Already injured 535 days
“Of course we have to do our homework, investigate and assess how we see the risk,” says Rolfes. “We said that we would do it because we are convinced of him and his knees.” Boniface missed 535 days because of the two cruciate ligament injuries. The last time the cruciate ligament tore was in November 2020. Boniface then took a year off. Last season should have strengthened Rolfes in his decision. Boniface completed 55 competitive games for Saint-Gilloise, his record: 22 goals and twelve assists.
In view of his ordeal, it is all the more astonishing how far the striker has come in his development. Of course, Boniface still has potential for improvement. Especially when he lets himself fall, gets the ball and can turn it up. Sometimes he makes the wrong decision too hastily. Or he is looking for a conclusion, although a teammate is better positioned. But for his age and the long absences, he seems very confident. His coach Alonso is satisfied, but also says: “We expect more.”
Daniel Theweleit, Mönchengladbach Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 5 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 4 Published/Updated:
Before Boniface can show that in a duel with FC Bayern and Harry Kane, the international break is coming up. The Nigerian was called up for the senior team for the first time. It’s the next step on the way up. However, they do not see any danger for the introverted newcomer to fly high in Leverkusen. “He’s a down-to-earth boy who’s hungry for goals and hungry for success,” says leader Granit Xhaka. “That’s only good for the team.” He’s already standing out from them. The Leverkusen fans already have their own song for Boniface – after two home games. Others wait a whole career for it. The Bundesliga, that much can already be said after three matchdays, has a new attraction.
