By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria international Victor Boniface has been dethroned as Bayer Leverkusen’s top scorer by Czech forward Patrik Schick.
Schick’s recent match-winning goal against Union Berlin, his sixth in just four matches, has propelled him to the top of the club’s scoring charts.
With this latest strike, Schick has surpassed Boniface’s tally of six goals in ten league appearances, bringing his total to nine goals across all competitions.
Boniface, who is currently sidelined with a thigh injury sustained during Nigeria’s AFCON qualifier against Rwanda, is expected to be out of action until next year.
The injury occurred after Boniface played until the 89th minute of the match before being substituted.
In Boniface’s absence, Schick has stepped up impressively, becoming the focal point of Bayer Leverkusen’s attack.
Despite Schick’s surge in form, Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky has expressed his admiration for both players, acknowledging the importance of both strikers to the team.
“Boniface and Schick are both important for the team. I’m happy for both of them when they score—and right now, it’s Patrik’s turn. He’s doing a great job up front,” Hradecky said.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
