While Victor Boniface watches from the sidelines at Bayer Leverkusen, fellow Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq is making a strong case for himself at Valencia.
Boniface remained an unused substitute as Leverkusen fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Werder Bremen on Saturday. Xabi Alonso has preferred Patrik Schick in recent weeks, limiting Boniface to just 141 Bundesliga minutes in seven matches since his return from injury. His last goal came over a month ago in the DFB-Pokal.
In contrast, Sadiq has hit top form in La Liga. The 28-year-old, who struggled for game time at Real Sociedad after a long injury layoff, has revived his career at Valencia. He scored again in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Real Valladolid, taking his tally to four goals in seven league games.
Notably, he has converted all four of his shots on target since joining the club in February, no player in La Liga boasts a better success rate in that period.
Sadiq’s heroic set tongues wagging in Nigeria
Sadiq’s resurgence has ignited debates among Nigerian fans, many of whom now see him as a better option than Boniface for the Super Eagles.
Social media was flooded with praise for the lanky forward.
Others compared him favorably to Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Paul Onuachu, calling for his inclusion in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers.
However, not everyone is convinced. Some argue that Sadiq should not be part of the national team setup, insisting that this is not the time for experiments.
Both Sadiq and Boniface have been named in Eric Chelle’s provisional squad for Nigeria’s upcoming clashes against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. But right now, only one of them is making a strong case for a starting spot.
