Super Eagles and Bayer 04 Leverkusen striker, Victor Okoh Boniface, has named Neymar as his football idol, ignoring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 23-year-old has been one of the biggest stars in Germany since switching to the Bundesliga last season, winning the Rookie of the Month award four times.
The former Union Saint-Gilloise man played a crucial role in Die Werkself’s domestic double triumph, as Xabi Alonso’s team clinched the DFB Pokal and the Bundesliga titles.
Speaking in an interview with Sporty TV, the Nigerian forward revealed his football idol to be the Brazilian superstar. He also referred to the former Barcelona man as the greatest of all time.
“Neymar is my football idol. The greatest of all time? Also Neymar. Ronaldo and Messi are from different planets, but on this planet, the one I know is Neymar. Ronaldo and Messi can go somewhere else, but leave Neymar here,” the 1.9m tall forward revealed.
Boniface is one of the leading candidates for the prestigious African Footballer of the Year award alongside Ademola Lookman. He scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists in 34 games across all competitions for Leverkusen last season.
Lookman on the other hand was instrumental in Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 run to the final, scoring three goals in Ivory Coast. He led Atalanta to the Coppa Italia final and scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final against Boniface’s Leverkusen, gifting Gian Piero Gasperini’s team their first taste of European silverware.
