Despite his difficult start, former Super Eagles midfielder Sylvanus Okpala has supported Victor Boniface to be successful with the Nigeria national team.
Despite scoring eight goals in 15 games for Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season, the striker’s performance for Nigeria has fallen short of Nigerians’ expectations.
Recall that the 23-year-old had a spectacular Bundesliga debut with Bayer 04 Leverkusen before making his debut for Nigeria in September 2023. But for Boniface, things haven’t gone as planned with the national team.
The former Union Saint-Gilloise forward has only scored once in 11 games for the three-time Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions, and Nigerians are growing increasingly impatient with the striker’s lack of impact, particularly following Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 qualifying matches against Rwanda and the Republic of Benin.
Okpala has defended him, urging Nigerian football supporters to exercise patience and let Boniface Fleish attack.
Okpala declared: “Osimhen enters and scores.”Without Osimhen, Boniface fails to score. Talking to him, giving him a lot of confidence, and reminding him that his main responsibility as a centre forward is to score goals are all necessary.If he is unable to score, he ought to start offering assistance.
He shouldn’t be overly anxious about scoring every time. He must maintain his composure, even though scoring is important. You can reach two after counting one.
He will regain his confidence if he begins to score. It is typical. In a Wednesday morning interview with a radio station 88.9 Brila FM, the 63-year-old stated that Bayer Leverkusen is not like the national squad. Meanwhile, because of a thigh injury he sustained while on international service, Boniface is not playing for the club.
