Super Eagles star warned after Leverkusen snub in 4-3 Mainz thriller – “That wasn’t smart”

Super Eagles star Victor Boniface has received a veiled warning from Bayer Leverkusen sporting managing director Simon Rolfes.

Rolfes' message was sent to Boniface after the Nigerian forward headed straight down the tunnel following his omission from Leverkusen's 4-3 Bundesliga victory over Mainz.

Boniface has made only one Bundesliga appearance this season, featuring for the final five minutes of the club's 3-2 loss away to SV Elversberg on matchday one. Despite only a making cameo show on that day, the Super Eagles star still provided the assist for Christian Kofane to score Leverkusen's second goal.

His contribution against SV Elversberg did little to impress head coach Carles Martínez who has since left him in the bench against Union Berlin, Leipzig and Mainz. Boniface was not even included in the squad that faced Augsburg in mid September.

On Saturday, though, the Super Eagles striker frustration boiled over. In the 84th minute, Leverkusen coach Martínez made his final two substitutions, introducing Equi Fernández and Jonas Hofmann for Aleix García and Patrik Schick.

With no opportunity for Boniface to enter the game, the Super Eagles forward headed towards the dressing room instead of returning to the bench. Unused substitutes Loïc Badé and Lucas Vázquez, however, remained with the team.

Leverkusen coach turns a blind eye

Rolfes and Martinez have both offered their reactions to the incident.

Martínez admitted he had not noticed the incident during the match but indicated he would address it with the striker.

“I didn't notice it during the game. I don't know anything about it. If that's what happened, we'll speak to him,” the Leverkusen coach told Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, per Bulinews.

“I can understand that every player wants to help the team. At the same time, these decisions are part of football. At that moment, I decided to make those substitutions.”

Rolfes sends message to Super Eagles star

Rolfes adopted a lighter tone when asked about the incident, joking that Boniface might have needed to use the toilet.

The experienced sporting director, however, made it clear that the situation should not be repeated.

“I don't know, maybe he needed to go to the toilet,” he said.

“Perhaps he went into the dressing room a little too early today. It won't happen next time.”

Still, the Leverkusen chief spared a minute to praise Boniface for maintaining a positive attitude throughout his ordeal over the past year.

“Generally speaking, I'm very pleased with Boniface's development. Over the past few months, he's been getting fitter week by week. Of course, there's still room for improvement, and every player wants to play. However, he has behaved perfectly well overall and is a good member of the squad and the training group,” Rolfes added.

“There are also other things the lads sometimes do that aren't always ideal. We want players who show emotion. You always have to consider whether it fits within the context of the team. I'm a fan of speaking to the lads first and telling them: ‘That perhaps wasn't the smartest decision.' Then that's that.”

Boniface is clearly desperate for an opportunity to prove himself. The Super Eagles attacker would have been hopeful of getting his chance following Christian Kofane's recent injury.

Coach Martínez even suggested that the Nigerian striker could receive more playing time.

That could come when Bayer Leverkusen head to Poland to face Lech Poznań in the Europa League on Thursday.