Xabi Alonso claims Victor Boniface sustains minor thigh injury in Nigeria camp

By Monsurah Olatunji

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Victor Boniface picked up a minor injury during Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Rwanda in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

The 23-year-old forward played for 87 minutes in Nigeria’s defeat to Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Monday, November 18.

However, reports from Bild have since revealed that Boniface missed Leverkusen’s training session on Thursday due to a thigh injury sustained during the international break.

Although Boniface left the pitch without any visible signs of injury, Alonso expressed that his star forward should not have played the full match, as it aggravated the thigh issue he had been dealing with for some time.

This marks the second significant injury for the Nigerian international since making his debut with the Super Eagles in 2023.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga clash with Heidenheim, Alonso confirmed that Boniface had sustained a minor thigh injury while away with Nigeria.

“He has a small injury in his thigh muscles,” Alonso was quoted as saying by Allgemeine Zeitung.

“He will miss several games. We’ll see how long he’ll be out. It’s a shame, but it won’t be for six to eight weeks. We hope he can play again this year. We now have to wait and see how he recovers.”