Victor Boniface says he is being unfairly judged on both his form and off-field habits as he struggles to establish himself at Werder Bremen, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles striker also insists his trademark cryptic social-media posts are harmless and wildly misunderstood.
The 24-year-old Nigerian forward, who made a surprise summer switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Bremen, is yet to score in nine Bundesliga appearances and has not secured a regular starting place.
Victor Boniface has also received knocks for some of his cryptic social media posts that many fans and critics have struggled to decipher.
As criticism mounts, he has moved to articulate his side of the story.
“I only post these things to distract myself a bit from everything else. It’s nothing serious,” he told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger ahead of Bremen’s game against 1. FC Köln. “I’m not insulting anyone, it’s not hurting anyone, and it’s meaningless.”
Boniface, presently attracting fresh knocks for his new multi-million naira acquisition, has become increasingly known for his puzzling online messages, including the viral line:
“Life is like a shoe, you can’t drink a cow because the earth is a carrot. Think about it.”
He insists the only reason these posts attract disproportionate attention now is because his performances have dipped.
“I did the same thing when I was in Leverkusen. I’ve used this exact caption before. The difference is: back then I scored goals and we won everything. Nobody talked about it,” he said.
The forward enjoyed a scintillating first Bundesliga season at Bayer Leverkusen, winning the league and DFB Cup, but injuries interrupted his second campaign.
A summer move to AC Milan collapsed late in negotiations, opening the door for Bremen to secure him on loan. Three months later, he remains without a goal and is fighting to regain confidence and rhythm.
“In football, it’s like this: if you play well one season and score goals, everyone expects you to repeat that in exactly the same way the following season. Otherwise, people start talking,” he added.
Boniface also defended his second season at Leverkusen, which some critics described as a drop-off.
“We were then unfairly criticized, even though we finished second and reached the cup semi-finals,” he said. “If I’m not mistaken, I scored the third-most goals for the team that season, despite missing 16 or 17 games due to injury. So was it really such a bad season for me?”
The striker says recurring injuries and public scrutiny will not break his spirit.
“From my time in Norway until now, I’ve had a lot of pain, but I’ve made it this far,” he said.
“I’m really very happy that I’ve even managed to play football for such top clubs, so I’m no longer afraid. I have to live with it.”
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Steffen rejects claims Bremen are unhappy with Victor Boniface’s training effort
Werder Bremen manager Horst Steffen has strongly dismissed suggestions that the club is dissatisfied with Boniface’s attitude or output in training, calling the rumours baseless and unhelpful.
“Who comes up with the idea of making such a statement? There are quite a few ways not to observe training,” Steffen told Weser Kurier, expressing surprise that such speculation had gained traction. “Therefore, I don’t know where this is coming from. I don’t want to say much more about it.”
The manager made it clear that he avoids publicly criticising players’ work at the training ground unless exceptional circumstances demand it.
“It’s not my intention to comment on individual training performances,” he said.
“Sometimes I mention it if someone has earned something special. But generally, I don’t want to evaluate and publicly comment on every training session.”
Boniface, who once looked like one of Europe’s fastest-rising forwards, is now attempting to rebuild his sharpness in Bremen green. With Steffen publicly backing him and insisting on patience, the club hopes the forward’s confidence and goals will return.
