Victor Boniface: Leverkusen ‘lifetime achievement’ feels like a dream, says Nigerian striker

Victor Boniface says his spell at Bayer Leverkusen feels like “a lifetime achievement” after helping the club end Bayern Munich’s dominance and deliver an era-defining run of trophies.

The Nigeria forward joined Leverkusen from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in July 2023 and quickly became central to Xabi Alonso’s transformation of the club into champions of Germany.

Within his first season, Leverkusen claimed their first-ever Bundesliga title, went unbeaten in the league, completed a domestic double with the DFB-Pokal and later added the German Super Cup in 2024.

Speaking on the anniversary of his arrival, the 25-year-old described the scale of success as far beyond what the three-year period suggests.

“Three years ago, I came here,” Boniface said in an interview with the club’s media. “Of course, it’s good. Like you said, it’s been three years now, and we have achieved a lot.”

‘Like a lifetime achievement’

Boniface, who has become a key figure for both Leverkusen and Nigeria’s Super Eagles, said the trophies and the historic nature of the club’s achievements had given his career a defining chapter.

“It might be like three years ago, but to me, it’s like a lifetime achievement. It was like a dream also,” he added. “We achieved something big for myself, for the club, and like I said, for the fans also.”

Leverkusen’s unbeaten Bundesliga triumph in 2023-24 ended Bayern Munich’s long-standing grip on the German league title, a landmark shift in the balance of power in the Bundesliga.

Boniface’s goals and all-round forward play were central to that success, as Alonso’s side combined attacking fluency with defensive resilience to make history.

Breaking Bayern’s stranglehold

The title win was Leverkusen’s first in the Bundesliga era and came in a season where they did not lose a single league match, underscoring the scale of the achievement.

Boniface played a prominent role in the campaign, scoring crucial goals as Leverkusen surged clear of Bayern and never relinquished control of the title race.

He also featured in their victorious DFB-Pokal run, as the club secured a domestic double, and later helped them lift the German Super Cup in 2024, underlining their new status as a major force in German football.

For the Nigerian, those honours have cemented his place in the club’s modern history and significantly raised his profile on the European stage.

Focus turns to new season targets

Despite the emotional weight of what has already been achieved, Boniface stressed that Leverkusen’s ambitions are firmly fixed on the campaigns ahead.

“This is a new year and hopefully also we can achieve alot this season,” Boniface said, signalling that the squad’s mindset remains on pushing for further silverware rather than dwelling on past glory.

With Alonso still at the helm and the core of the title-winning side intact, Leverkusen are expected to challenge again domestically and in Europe.

Boniface, now established as one of the Bundesliga’s most influential forwards, will be central to those ambitions as he aims to build on what he describes as a dream chapter in his career.

The Super Eagles striker will begin the new season looking to add more medals – for himself, for Leverkusen, and for the fans he says have shared in “something big” over the past three years.