Nigeria and Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface has made an interesting pick between winning the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal or the UEFA Europa League.
The German giants are in contention to win a treble, having been impressive in all three of the aforementioned competitions. Die Werkself currently sit at the top of the German league with a very healthy lead over their rivals.
Xavi Alonso’s side has so far been unbeaten in all competitions this term and are 10 points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich on the Bundesliga table with just eight matches left.
Boniface has played a key role in Leverkusen’s transformation this season after joining the club from Belgian side Saint-Gilloise last summer in a €20 million deal. The Nigeria international was involved in 25 goals (16 goals and nine assists) in 23 games in the first round of the campaign, including 10 in the Bundesliga.
However, Boniface‘s momentum was halted when he suffered an abductor injury while away with Nigeria ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in the Ivory Coast and has since been out for the last three months.
Victor Boniface prefers Bundesliga title to German Cup, Europa League
His absence has, however, not affected Leverkusen’s form, with the club reaching the semi-finals of the German Cup, as well as the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Alonso’s side will face Fortuna Dusseldorf in the last four of the DFB Pokal, while a tough test against Premier League side West Ham United also awaits in Europe. With the prospect of the treble on the cards, Boniface was asked to choose which of the trophies he’d want to win the most.
The 23-year-old prioritised the Bundesliga title, saying it would be an honour to be part of Leverkusen’s first-ever title triumph. He also reserved praise for his teammates, whom he said will fight for every trophy until the end.
“If I had to? For the championship! Because Leverkusen deserves this title. This big club is missing the championship trophy,” Boniface told Sport Bild.
“It would be an honour for me to be part of this historic success. But nobody wants to choose here. Everyone gives everything to be there until the end in the other competitions too.”
Leverkusen’s unbeaten run ‘crazy’ – Victor Boniface
Bayern Leverkusen have now gone 38 games without tasting defeat since the start of the season. Alonso’s side has conquered all before them both domestically and in Europe.
In February, Die Werkself recorded a statement win over their main title rivals Bayern Munich when they thrashed Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-0 at the Bay Arena. Leverkusen have also shown tremendous fighting spirit, having come from behind to win a number of their recent matches at the death.
Although Boniface hasn’t played any minutes since the start of the year due to injury, the striker said even he has been surprised by the club’s impressive run of form. He described Leverkusen’s unbeaten run as crazy and credited it to the desire and hunger within the squad to finish the season on a high.
“Nobody expected anything like that. That's crazy. I don't have a proper explanation for it either,” the former Bodo/Glimt forward said.
“But everyone on this team is hungry and always ready to give 100 per cent. After five or six games I got the feeling that a lot is possible here – with this great team and the many good people around it.”
Victor Boniface is expected to make his much-awaited injury return in the early weeks of April. The 23-year-old has already started training individually after ditching his crutches last month, as he looks to return to full fitness.
