After two appearances in the Bundesliga since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a deal worth around €20m this summer, Nigerian striker Victor Boniface has earned a comparison with Bayern Munich legend Robert Lewandowski.
Boniface has made a flying start to his Bayer Leverkusen career with three goals and one assist in as many competitive games.
The 22-year-old bagged a brace as Bayer Leverkusen trounced Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 in a Rhine derby at Borussia Park on Saturday.
Boniface proved his elite-level credentials in the Europa League last season, providing two goals and two assists in four meetings with Union Berlin in the group stage and round of 16, while also hitting the target against his current employer in the quarter-finals.
His impressive performance saw him finish as joint-top scorer along with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League campaign with six goals in 10 games and earned him a move to Germany from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a deal worth around €20m.
After moving to Bayer over the summer, he scored a debut goal in the DFB Cup against Leipzig, registered a debut assist in the Bundesliga and hit a brace on his second German top-flight outing.
The league’s official website in a post pointed out the similarities between the Nigerian and the league’s second-all-time scorer.
“Comparing a Bundesliga newcomer to one of the league’s absolute all-time greats might sound a tad premature, but hear us out,” the Bundesliga media team wrote
“Boniface is an all-round centre forward, good with both feet, physically powerful, good in the air and with a surprisingly good dribbling ability. His clever movement and ability to lose his marker are also traits he shares with the Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich legend.”
