.jpg) Boniface celebrating withBodø/Glimt in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Victor Okoh Boniface | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-12-23)23 December 2000 (age 24) | ||
| Place of birth | Akure,Ondo State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Werder Bremen (on loan fromBayer Leverkusen) | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Real Sapphire | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Bodø/Glimt | 48 | (13) |
| 2022–2023 | Union SG | 37 | (9) |
| 2023– | Bayer Leverkusen | 42 | (22) |
| 2025– | →Werder Bremen (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Nigeria | 13 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:02, 7 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Victor Okoh Boniface (born 23 December 2000) is a Nigerian professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forBundesliga clubWerder Bremen, on loan fromBayer Leverkusen, and theNigeria national team.
In January 2018, Boniface went on loan toKTFF Süper Lig clubLefke TSK. After continuing his career here for a short time, he returned toReal Sapphire in July 2018.[2]
Boniface signed for Norwegian sideBodø/Glimt on 4 March 2019.[3] He suffered a ligament injury only two weeks after signing for Glimt, which was said to be likely to keep him on the sidelines for the duration of the 2019 season.[4] Boniface was selected to theNigeria U-20 squad to play the 2019Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, but had to withdraw from the squad due to injury.[5] In September 2019 he nonetheless made his league debut for the club.[6]
On 8 August 2022, Boniface signed a four-year contract with Belgian sideUnion Saint-Gilloise.[7] Union reached the quarter-finals of the2022–23 Europa League. Boniface scored six goals in the competition, including a brace againstUnion Berlin in the round of 16, finishing as the competition's joint top scorer along withMarcus Rashford.[8]
On 22 July 2023, Boniface signed forBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen on a contract until 2028, and was assigned the number 22 shirt.[9] He made his Bundesliga debut as a starter on 19 August, in a 3–2 home victory overRB Leipzig.[10] The following week, on 26 August, he scored his first Bundesliga goals by netting a brace at theBorussia Park in a 3–0 away derby win againstBorussia Mönchengladbach.[11]
In early April 2024, Boniface recovered from an adductor injury sustained in January that year.[12] On 11 April, he netted his first goal following his return in a 2–0 win againstWest Ham United in the 1st leg of theEuropa League quarter-final.[13] Four days later, he scored the opener from thepenalty spot and provided an assist in a 5–0 win againstWerder Bremen, helping his club to secure the Bundesliga title for the first time with five games to spare.[14] He eventually managed to finish his first season at the club as their top scorer in the league with 14 goals, winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.[15]
On 1 October 2024, he scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal, securing a 1–0 victory overAC Milan.[16] In the summer of 2025, his proposed loan move to the latter club collapsed after he failed the medical examination due to recurring knee issues.[17]
Boniface joined fellow Bundesliga club Werder Bremen on a season-long loan on 1 September, the last day of the summertransfer window.[18]
Boniface made his debut for theNigeria senior team on 10 September 2023, coming on in the 64th minute forTaiwo Awoniyi. He provided an assist in that match toSamuel Chukwueze.[19]
On 29 December 2023, he was named in the Nigerian squad for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.[20] However, on 8 January 2024, Boniface sustained a muscle injury which forced him to miss the African tournament,[21] and he was replaced byTerem Moffi.[22]
Boniface is known for his distinctive style of play. His playing characteristics include strengths in dribbling, finishing, and headed attempts, while his weaknesses lie in offside awareness, holding onto the ball, and defensive contribution.[23]
He is described as a player who likes to dribble, likes to do layoffs, and likes to play long balls. These attributes contribute to his effectiveness as a forward on the field.[24]
His background includes learning to play football in a military barracks in Nigeria.
Overall, Victor Boniface's style of play is characterised by his technical abilities, goal-scoring prowess, and unique playing preferences.[25][26][27]
Boniface is aChristian.[28] Boniface enjoys making funny goal celebrations to entertain people when he scores.[29][30]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bodø/Glimt | 2019 | Eliteserien | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | Eliteserien | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 2 | — | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2021 | Eliteserien | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Eliteserien | 15 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 10[c] | 5 | — | 30 | 14 | ||
| Total | 48 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 7 | — | 66 | 23 | |||
| Union SG | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 10[b] | 6 | — | 51 | 17 | |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 23 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 8[b] | 5 | — | 34 | 21 | |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 19 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 1 | 27 | 11 | |
| Total | 42 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 32 | ||
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 135 | 44 | 15 | 8 | 35 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 186 | 72 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 0 | |
Bodø/Glimt
Bayer Leverkusen
Individual