Super Eagles star Victor Boniface is close to surpassing Nigerian legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha in Bundesliga history after his impressive performance in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Boniface scored the opening goal in the fourth minute, taking his Bundesliga goal tally to 18. Although he had another goal disallowed by VAR, his strike marked an important milestone. This brings him level with Okocha, who scored 18 goals in the Bundesliga during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1990s.
While Okocha reached his total after 90 games, Boniface has matched the record in just 29 appearances, making his achievement even more remarkable.
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The 23-year-old forward is now joint-fifth with Okocha in the list of highest-scoring Nigerians in Bundesliga history. Boniface is four goals away from overtaking Taiwo Awoniyi, who sits in fourth place. He is also closing in on Anthony Ujah, Victor Agali, and Jonathan Akpoborie, who tops the list with 60 goals.
Despite the draw, Boniface’s form continues to shine this season, with four league goals and a recent Champions League strike. Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has praised his performances but noted that Boniface still has areas to improve to reach even greater heights.