Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh has sent his congratulations to Victor Boniface after the Nigeria international led Bayer 04 Leverkusen to a first Bundesliga title on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Boniface was one of Bayer Leverkusen's best players as the German club claimed the league title for the first time in history after beating Werder Bremen 5-0 at the BayerArena.
How Leverkusen won the Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen had never won the German league title since the club was established 119 years ago. Die Werkself had finished as runners-up on five different occasions, though.
However, the 2023/24 season will remain indelible in the memories of millions of the club's fans worldwide.
It’s a huge party inside BayArena as Leverkusen win their first Bundesliga title. I can see old men and women and their children hugging and crying and cutting up blades of grass and partying. What a time it is for this city and its team.
— Lolade Adewuyi (@Jololade) April 14, 2024
Meisterchale!!! Bundesliga champions. pic.twitter.com/9roePOVWIM
Bayer Leverkusen have been unbeaten in 29 league games, winning 25 and drawing four while scoring 74 goals and conceding only 19 – for the second-best attack and best defence in the division.
After beating Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen boast 79 points – 16 more than second-placed Bayern Munich – with five games to play.
Xabi Alonso and his men knew a win over Werder Bremen on Sunday would be enough to bring home the Bundesliga title.
And nothing could rob them of that historic moment as Boniface gave Leverkusen the lead from the penalty spot midway into the first half.
The Nigerian forward assisted the club's second goal scored by Granit Xhaka shortly after the interval. Substitute Florian Wirtz added a 22-minute hat-trick to make sure of the win and send Leverkusen fans into jubilations.
Nathan Tella also featured for the first 62 minutes of the encounter.
Record-equalling Boniface, Tella
Boniface and Tella become the first Nigerians since Sunday Oliseh to win the Bundesliga title.
Na God pic.twitter.com/LDXlnRN9sH
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) April 14, 2024
Pascal Ojigwe won the Bundesliga title with FC Kaiserslautern in 1998, and Sunday Oliseh repeated the feat with Borussia Dortmund in 2002.
Boniface contributed 11 goals and eight assists in only 18 matches to Leverkusen's title triumph.
The 23-year-old striker also has five goals and two assists in six Europa League games to help the Germans put one foot in the competition's semifinals.
Leverkusen are also through to the finals of the DFB Pokal, with Boniface netting two goals in his only two appearances in that tournament.
Nathan Tella can also be pleased with his contribution to Leverkusen's historic title win.
The former Southampton man scored five goals and added two assists in 20 games for Leverkusen, only five of which were in the starting lineup.
Oliseh's AFCON prediction
Shortly after Boniface matched Oliseh's German title feat, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to felicitate with his younger compatriot.
https://twitter.com/CAF_Online/status/1779563876138332394
Oliseh applauded Boniface's key qualities that make him so important for Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria.
The former Juventus star then expressed his conviction that Boniface would lead the Super Eagles to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Victor Boniface was once again extraordinary as Leverkusen grabbed its first ever Bundesliga title with 5 games left to play. Boniface is strong, skillful, intelligent, mobile, calm under pressure and I am convinced he will lead Nigeria to AFCON glory & more soon. Congrats,” Oliseh wrote.
Victor Boniface was once again extraordinary as Leverkusen grabbed it's first ever Bundesliga title with 5 games left to play. Boniface is strong,skilful,intelligent,mobile,calm under pressure and i am convinced he will lead Nigeria to AFCON glory & more soon. Congrats Bro!! https://t.co/NpfHvEkKR1
— Sunday Oliseh (@SundayOOliseh) April 14, 2024
It would be recalled that injury kept Boniface out of Nigeria's challenge at the 2023 AFCON, where the Super Eagles finished as runners-up behind host Cote d'Ivoire.
More wins await Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen
With the Bundesliga in the bag, Bayer Leverkusen can now turn their attention to the two other competitions they can still win this season.
The newly minted German champions can still lift the UEFA Europa League and the German Cup.
https://twitter.com/bayer04fussball/status/1779563719531364858
Leverkusen are through to the finals of the DFB Pokal, a competition where Boniface has two goals in only two appearances.
The Germans also have a foot in the semifinals of the Europa League after beating 1-0 West Ham in the first leg of their quarterfinals clash.
Boniface scored one of the two goals that downed the English Premier League campaigners on Thursday – his fifth in the competition this term.
He will look to make a similar impact when the two meet in London for the return fixture on Thursday.
CONGRATULATIONS, BAYER KEVERKRUSEN, CONGRATULATIONS, Boniface, Nathan and Frimpong…
This is history recorded on the pages of Germany’s football hall of fame forever. One thing about victory is, it triggers the demand for more victories, and this is made possible by even more work. It is said in Africa that work is the medicine for more work…
Therefore, it is possible, Victor and Tella, to record more victories ahead if you try.
Our celebration can wait until we meet again, whenever you “storm” – as our sports journalists are fond of putting it – the African scene, to bring the Super Eagles back to world-class status again. Till then, may God be with you as always, in Jesus’ name, Amen…