Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface has been named the Bundesliga player of the month for August following the immediate impact he has had since moving to Bayer Leverkusen over the summer.
The 22-year-old has hit the ground running since joining Xabi Alonso’s team from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, with four goals and two assists in his first three league games in the month of August.
Boniface beat stern competition from the Bayern Munich duo of Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane, Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg), Kevin Behrens (Union Berlin), and Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig).
Bundesliga Rookie of the Month ✅
Bundesliga Player of the Month ✅Move out the way, Mr. Haaland. Victor's coming! ????#Bayer04 | @Bundesliga_EN | @boniface_jrn https://t.co/mG1aEvXpUK pic.twitter.com/GltRg5rPYZ
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) September 14, 2023
The former Bodo/Glimt forward notched an assist in his debut for Die Werkself as they defeated Leipzig 3-2. In his second game for the side, he opened his goal account by bagging a brace in their 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach before scoring two and providing another in their 5-1 thrashing of Darmstadt.
Boniface, who fired more shots than any other Bundesliga player in August and also contested more challenges (54) than anyone, had initially won the Rookie of the Month award earlier in the month. He becomes the first player since Erling Haaland in February 2020 to win both the Player and Rookie of the Month awards in the same month.
The striker, who recently made his debut for Nigeria in their 6-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers and also registered an assist in the game, will be looking to add to his goals tally when he and his teammates take on defending champions Bayern in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday, September 15, at the Allianz Arena.
