Afcon 2023: Injury rules Victor Boniface out of maiden outing in Cote d’voire

Nigeria’s preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have been dealt a major blow as Bayer Leverkusen forward, Victor Boniface has been

The 23-year-old has been sidelined from his first AFCON tournament, with reports indicating a six-week recovery period due to a groin injury.

The Nigerian international was an obvious absentee as the team thrashed a Dubai team Al Gharbia 12-0 in their warm up match before losing to Guinea on Monday afternoon.

With 16 goals and eight assists in 23 appearances for Xabi Alonso’s side, Boniface has established himself as a key player to watch in this tournament.

However, the former Union Saint-Gilloise striker joined a growing list of injured players that includes Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, as Nigeria’s quest to lift the AFCON for the fourth time which will put them at par with West African arch-rivals Ghana, and leave only Egypt (seven wins) and Cameroon (five wins) ahead of them in the inverted pyramid of glory.

The Super Eagles are in Group A of the four-week, 24-nation finals alongside host nation Cote d’Ivoire and Africa’s other two Guinean nations – Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. They are slated to kick off their 2023 campaign on January 14 against Equatorial Guinea.

“Victor Boniface has again been left out of Nigeria’s friendly v Guinea as he is now battling to be fit for the AFCON after he picked up an injury in training in UAE. It is a muscular injury, missed training match against local club Al Gharib,” BBC reporter, Oluwashina Okeleji posted on X.

Confirming the news, the prolific Leverkusen forward bid farewell to the Super Eagles squad through his social media, writing on his Instagram page; “Good luck, guys. Wish you all the best at AFCON”.