The Nigerian striker has been a hit in Germany since making his multimillion euros move from Union Saint-Gilloise
Former Belgium national team head coach Marc Wilmots has acknowledged that Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface is a special footballer, Soccernet.ng reports.
In the summer, Bayer Leverkusen splashed €20.5 million to acquire the services of Boniface on a long-term deal from Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise.
Boniface has needed little time to adapt to his new environment as he has been on fire since setting his feet on German soil.
The Nigerian forward picked up the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month awards for August after netting four goals and adding two assists.
Wilmots is well aware of Boniface’s strengths, which were made manifest during his year-long spell at Union SG.
And the former Schalke interim manager has pointed out that Boniface’s versatility, power, and pace are his best attributes.
“He has always played at Union Saint-Gillose in a 3-5-2 as one of two strikers, but he can also play alone as a center forward,” Wilmots told Kicker.
“It fits into every system. He is strong on the ball but also quick. So, he is a weapon. The only negative is that he has already torn his cruciate ligament twice. But he played over 50 games last season. I have no doubts about his health.”
While admitting that Boniface has room to improve and get better, Wilmots confessed that the youngster is already a special player comparable in qualities to AS Roma striker Romelu Lukaku.
When asked which centre-forward he would compare Boniface to in terms of type, Wilmots responded:
“Victor Boniface is Victor Boniface. In terms of type, you can perhaps compare him somewhat with Romelu Lukaku.
“But Lukaku has even more power. If he starts from midfield, you can’t hold him. And Romelu is more dangerous, a real goalscorer. Boniface still has to prove this class. But he is only 22 years old. He can still get a lot better.”
Boniface was one of the standout performers as Bayer Leverkusen forced Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena on Friday.
