Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface will no longer play for Werder Bremen this season, as the club has reached a final decision on his future, Soccernet.ng reports.
The last six months have been incredibly difficult for Boniface. During the summer transfer window, he was linked with a move to Italian giants AC Milan, but the deal failed to materialize due to concerns regarding his fitness and medical history.
Eventually, he moved to Werder Bremen. At the time, the move seemed like a step down given his previous exploits with Die Werkself.
At Bayer Leverkusen, he contributed 32 goals and 12 assists in 61 appearances and was vital to their Bundesliga title win in his debut season.
As such, he was expected to become the focal point of the Werder Bremen attack. However, things have not panned out as imagined, as Boniface's playing time has been severely limited.
During the first half of the season, he spent more time on the bench than on the pitch; in fact, he did not start a game for the club until November.
Then in early December, news broke that Boniface was struggling with a knee injury, which kept him out of action for the remainder of the month.
It was later revealed that the injury required surgery to correct. Reports indicated that Boniface had the final say: he could choose surgery now or wait it out, though the former was considered the better option despite the fact it would sideline him until next season.
In the meantime, the club began talks with Bayer Leverkusen to terminate the striker's loan deal.
Now, according to fresh reports from DeichStube, Werder Bremen has decided that Boniface will no longer feature for them this season, regardless of whether he undergoes surgery or if the contract termination is finalized.
Werder Bremen Chief Drops Victor Boniface Bombshell
Werder Bremen held their first training session of 2026 on Friday, January 2, where Head of Professional Football Peter Niemeyer addressed Victor Boniface's situation.
He confirmed that the striker is dealing with a knee injury and is scheduled to see a specialist.
”The 25-year-old is suffering from a knee injury that prevents him from participating in team training,” Niemeyer said, per DeichStube.
“Victor will travel to Innsbruck, Austria, on January 8 to see knee specialist Prof. Dr. Christian Fink for an examination regarding a possible operation.”
”We want to wait for the examination results first. The next steps will then be determined based on those results.”
Niemeyer also admitted that signing Boniface in the summer was a risk, but they proceeded because of the Nigerian’s profile.
Apparently, the striker had damaged cartilage in his knee last summer and should have undergone surgery then.
The club had hoped his condition would not deteriorate, which is why they moved forward with the signing. Unfortunately for Werder Bremen, the issue has only worsened.
”We saw [signing Boniface] as an opportunity in the summer, and every opportunity carries a risk,” Niemeyer admitted.
“Ultimately, we have to say that we all hoped for more from this loan. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as we had envisioned.”
The next few weeks will be critical for Boniface's career. The hope remains that he will bounce back stronger and return to being one of the best marksmen in world football.
