Many Nigerians may be yet to have the opportunity to witness Victor Boniface the Leverkusen hitman on the big stage clothed in our Nike Asoebi, but that doesn’t mean that when called upon the 23-yea-old Bundesliga nightmare won’t rise to the occasion.
Boniface was sidelined from participating in the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire at the last minute after picking up an injury, this injury would sideline the enigmatic forward for a good number of weeks.
In the weeks past Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was linked to a move to Anfield, in a bid by the top brass of Liverpool to secure the signature of the Liverpool legend to replace outgoing manager, Jurgen Kloop who had decided to call it quits after spending close to a decade at the Merseyside club.
Little is mentioned about how great talents benefit from the consistency in leadership at the club level or the tutelage to understudy great footballing minds.
Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu from this, as they were groomed by the Dutch master Louis Van Gaal at Ajax, who till today brags about paying for George’s transfer fee at a train station in the Netherlands.
Not only George and Kanu but the likes of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, Harry Kane and Heung Min Son, and Kelvin De Bruyne all benefitted from Kloop, Pochettino, and Pep respectively, the list they say is continuous.
It speaks volumes of how clear-cut vision marinated with sound leadership at the club level can unlock the greatness within any great talent and how this can transcend to the formation of a mercurial player for the country.
Though we may not know how long this union between Boniface and His coach might last for but for as long as it does, Nigerians are the beneficiaries.