African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.
Nigeria striker Victor Boniface was on target as his goal secured a vital point for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Dortmund to keep them top of the Bundesliga standings, with Bayern Munich breathing right down their necks.
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Xabi Alonso's side got off to a bad start against BVB after an early goal by Julian Ryerson put the away team in front in as early as the fifth minute to worry the home supporters.
Despite a momentary sigh of relief just before half-time when Florian Wirtz scored only for his strike to be ruled out for offside, that anxiety would be present until the 79th minute, when Boniface came to the rescue of Die Werkself.
The Super Eagle was in the right place at the right time, showing his striking instinct when he got on to the end of a ball that had been squared across the box and slotted it home.
The move began when his fellow African teammate Odilon Kossounou of Ivory Coast made an impactful run after winning the ball inside his own half. After a significant carry, he found substitute Patrik Schick in the box, who squared the ball to his teammate, who had the composure to finish the chance.
It was the forward's eighth goal of the season, and the one that brought his run of five league games without finding the back of the net to an end.
Considering Sofascore gave the player an xG (expected goals) of 1.12 after registering two shots on target and one off, the goal that he grabbed to salvage a point from a game in which his side struggled to make clear-cut chances was a deserved one.
He also contributed in other areas, registering three successful dribble attempts, 49 touches, had a rate of 74% accurate passes, one key pass, six ground duels won, and also won 100% of his two aerial duels.
The 22-year-old seems to have all of the components needed to one day become a top-class striker, and add to the long list of talented Nigerian strikers that includes Victor Osimhen, former Premier League star Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nwankwo Kanu, Rashidi Yekini, Shola Ameobi, and many more!
He stands at an intimidating height of 1.93m and has an insatiable eye for goal while also possessing the ability to beat a player with the ball at his feet.
His manager is also of the opinion that his star is a striker who has all the ingredients to become the absolute forward.
"He's not just a classic striker, not just a bomber – he's complete," Alonso said earlier this season, per Planet Sport.
"We are happy with him, he has scored four goals so far, but we expect more."
This season, Boniface has registered eight goals and five assists in 13 league appearances, and is proving to be worth the €20.5 million (R417 million) the German club paid Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise at the beginning of this season to secure his services.
Not only has he won the adoration of the Leverkusen faithful, but he recently captured the hearts of the general public after he flew his grandmother to the country to watch him play live on Sunday. She was seen cheering him on from the sidelines as well as meeting some of her grandson's teammates.
Xhaka and senior man ?? pic.twitter.com/GGFc1n7byC
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) December 3, 2023
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