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By: Abiodun Adewale
Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface, has credited manager Xabi Alonso and teammate Granit Xhaka for helping him adapt quickly to life in the Bundesliga as well as for their unbeaten run for a first league title in the club’s history, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 23-year-old is currently sidelined until April, after undergoing surgery on his groin, which forced him out of Nigeria’s 2023 AFCON squad. He was in the final 25-man squad before picking up the knock at the team’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
While he remains a major miss for the Supers Eagles in Ivory Coast, Leverkusen will also miss his services as they seek their first Bundesliga title.
The Nigerian, who was signed for €20m in the summer, is their highest goal scorer this season, netting 10 times and also providing 17 assists in 16 matches. He has also won four consecutive Bundesliga Rookie Player of The Month Award, while he is also in the run for a fifth accolade.
Before his injury, he spoke on the impact of Alonso and Xhaka to his blistering start as well as their incredible run in the league this season on Obi One Podcast.
“Everybody knew him as a great player, he (Alonso) was fantastic and won everything in football. He’s really helped me a lot and tried to advise me,” Boniface said.
“He gave me the example of Didier Drogba, saying he was big and strong, and he wants the same from me. He was trying to put that type of mentality in my head because I’m the type of guy who just wants to have a good game. Even if I’m not scoring, it doesn’t matter, as long as we are winning. But he wants to try and change that mentality, for me to become a fighter. He’s a top, top coach.”
On the Switzerland midfielder, Xhaka, whom their pictures on and off the pitch have suggested a good relationship between both of them, Boniface said, “He has experience, maturity and he’s a top professional.
“We have a young squad but with Granit, it feels like we’ve been playing for a long time because he talks to us and tries to help us,” he added.