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Last Sunday, Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface made history with his German Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen, when they defeated Werder Bremen 5 – 0 to be crowned the new champions of Germany. The win meant that Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time with 5 games to spare.
More significantly, Coach Xabi Alonso’s side became the first German club to go 43 games unbeaten. Alonso’s team also displaced perennial champions, Bayern Munich from their Olympian heights in startling fashion.
In all this, Nigeria international, Victor Boniface has been key to coach Alonso’s plans. Despite the disruptive injury spells that have sometimes put him on the sidelines, the Nigerian forward has scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists in 25 games across all competitions.
Boniface who scored the opener before registering an assist in the same game has been a revelation in his debut season in Germany and has now celebrated Leverkusen’s remarkable triumph by getting himself custom-made Diamond chains.
As part of the celebrations that have followed the historic feat in Germany, the 23-year-old Super Eagles striker recruited the services of prominent jeweller, Buchi Obasi, the man behind Osimhen’s championship ring and chains after he led Napoli to the Scudetto last season. One of the large pendants features an encrusted Diamond inscription that reads “Dreams Are For Real” with a throwback picture of his late mother and his siblings.
The other one was created solely as tribute to his late mother, also featuring an encrusted Diamond inscription that reads “Keep Resting Mama.”
The value of both pieces have been estimated to be in the region of ¦ 10,000,000,
After his mother passed away last year, Boniface previously revealed that he grew up with his grand-parents and sometime last year, flew out his grandma to watch him play in the Bundesliga.
Still in celebratory mood, Boniface took a walk down memory lane, as he shared a photo from his early days playing football. In the post which he made on X, Boniface posted a picture captured from his childhood with the phrase “If you like give up”.
Boniface’s post gives fans a glimpse of his humble beginnings and how far he has come; from playing street soccer in Akure, to becoming a Bundesliga champion in his first year in Germany.
The 23-year-old’s post serves as an inspiration to others to keep pushing and not give up on their dreams.
In a brief interview granted after the title-deciding match, Boniface acknowledged his family and fans in Akure, and also hinted at a celebration saying “we go meet, we go shut down everywhere when I come”.
The Nigerian striker was also awarded with an honorary citizenship by the city of Leverkusen alongside his Bayer Leverkusen teammates, including fellow Nigerian football star Nathan Tella.
Bodø/Glimt
Victor Okoh Boniface who started with Lagos-based football academy, Real Saphphire began his journey to prominence when in 2019 he signed for a remote Norwegian side, Bodø/Glimt.
He suffered a ligament injury only two weeks after signing for Glimt, which was said to have kept him on the sidelines for the duration of the 2019 season. He was selected to the Nigeria U-20 squad to play the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, but had to withdraw from the squad due to injury. In September 2019 he nonetheless made his league debut for the club.
Union SG
In 2022, Boniface signed a four-year contract with Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. Union reached the quarter-finals of the 2022–23 Europa League. The Nigerian youngster scored six goals in the competition, including a brace against Union Berlin in the round of 16, finishing as the competition’s joint top scorer along with Marcus Rashford.
Bayer Leverkusen
In 2023, Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen snapped him up on a 5-year contract that will last until 2028. He made his Bundesliga debut on 19 August, in a 3–2 home victory over RB Leipzig. The following week, he scored his first Bundesliga goals by netting a brace at the Borussia Park in a 3–0 away derby win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Hard work, high productivity and discipline attracted national team coach Jose Peseiro to the young Nigerian who was painting German Bundesliga red with goals. Boniface made his debut for the Nigeria senior team on 10 September 2023, coming on in the 64th minute for Taiwo Awoniyi. He provided an assist in that match to Samuel Chukwueze. He was named in the Nigerian squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. However, he was forced to withdraw from the AFCON-bound national team when he sustained a muscle injury. He was replaced by Terem Moffi.
Style of play
Boniface is known for his distinctive style of play. His playing characteristics include strengths in dribbling, finishing, and headed attempts, while his weaknesses lie in offside awareness, holding onto the ball, and defensive contribution.
He is described as a player who likes to dribble, likes to do layoffs, and likes to play long balls. These attributes contribute to his effectiveness as a forward on the field.
His background, including learning to play football in a military barracks in Nigeria, adds an interesting dimension to his journey as a footballer.
Overall, Victor Boniface’s style of play is characterized by his technical abilities, goal-scoring prowess, and unique playing preferences, making him a player to watch in the world of football.
Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya has reached a Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon when he reached the 57-hour mark, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes.
Onakoya currently aims to reach the 58-hour target.
The previous record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, was held by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.
According to The Gift of Chess on X who posted at 12:34 am on Saturday, “56 Hours Straight. The Record Is SET TO BREAK.”
Recall Vanguard reported how Multiple award-winning Afrobeat singer, Davido and other Nigerian celebrities had turned up to cheer Onakoya while he attempted to set this record.
Details later …
Renowned chess master, Tunde Onakoya, who commenced his mission to surpass the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon for 58 hours, has played the game for 16 hours, winning all opponents.
The event, which is underway at New York City’s iconic Times Square, started on Wednesday, April 17, and is scheduled to end on April 19.
Onakoya has emerged triumphant in all encounters so far, including his match with New York’s National Chess Master, Shawn Martinez.
A post on his X handle early Thursday read, “Tunde Onakoya beats a very worthy opponent and one of New York’s finest, National Chess Master Shawn Martinez!”
Onakoya’s manager, known as Taiwo with the X handle “OgaBoxx,” has also provided insights into the nature of the challenge.
Taiwo stated that after 15 hours of continuous play with 12 opponents, Onakoya took an accumulated break of 30 minutes, as the rules stipulate a five-minute break for every hour of play.
He added that Onakoya is playing two sets of games simultaneously and must not lose either.
He wrote, “The opponent on the first set is Shawn Martinez, a US National Chess Master, and he will play with Tunde throughout the attempt.
“Opponents in the second set are random players. He can’t lose any game on either set.
“Only Tunde’s match against Shawn Martinez is considered valid for the record. He is not competing in his simultaneous play against random opponents in the second set. NYC, come out and play regardless.”
PUNCH Online reports that the event has garnered significant attention and support from Nigerians abroad who came out to support the chess master.
Onakoya has also received encouraging messages from various Nigerian dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
The US Mission Nigeria and UK in Nigeria have also sent their best wishes to Onakoya via their respective X handles.
[Punch]
Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain will meet in the Champions League semi-finals, almost eight months after facing off in the opening match of their European campaigns.
The two sides emerged from this season’s ‘group of death’, which also featured Italian giants AC Milan, who made last season’s final four and ambitious Newcastle.
While PSG were tipped to go far in what has become Kylian Mbappe’s farewell tour, Dortmund surprisingly topped the group.
The 1997 winners are now on the cusp of returning to Wembley – the venue of their 2013 Champions League final loss to arch-rivals Bayern Munich.
Although another London meeting with Bayern is possible with the Bavarians on the other side of the draw, Dortmund will need to first get past PSG, who needed to come from behind in their quarter-final tie with Barcelona.
Dortmund delivered their worst performance in Europe this season at the Parc des Princes earlier this season but Edin Terzic’s underdog side will back themselves to spring an upset in the competition which matters the most to PSG and their Qatari backers.
‘Nonsense to say otherwise’
“If you’re already there, it makes sense to fight to play in the final,” a beaming Terzic said after the victory.
“We will try everything.”
Compared to their stuttering domestic form, Dortmund’s impressive Champions League record this season has not only perplexed observers, it has kept Terzic in a job.
Sitting 23 points in the table behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten champions Bayer Leverkusen Dortmund sit fifth and face an uphill battle to qualify for next year’s Champions League.
Tuesday’s win not only means Terzic is likely to stay in the dugout beyond this season, but it will also silence some of the dissenting voices criticising his squad selection.
One such talking point is his preference for journeyman forward Niclas Fuellkrug over teenager Youssoufa Moukoko to lead the line.
Against Atletico, Fuellkrug scored Dortmund’s third with a brilliant header to level the tie on 71 minutes, breaking a nine-game scoring drought, having been benched for Saturday’s win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The 31-year-old striker, who had spent most of his career in the second division until helping Werder Bremen get promoted two seasons ago, is now headed for the Champions League semis in his first year in European football.
Describing the night as “magical”, Fuellkrug said, “Our only goal now is Wembley – it would be nonsense to say otherwise.”
‘We had some problems’
Dortmund were thoroughly outclassed in a 2-0 loss in Paris in September, but secured the top spot and arguably deserved victory in a 1-1 draw at home in December.
“There are of course some advantages and some disadvantages when you play against a team you have already faced in the competition,” Fuellkrug said afterwards.
“We were very good at home against the Parisians. I believe the knockout games are not comparable to the group games – they’re something else.
“You’ve seen what we’re capable of – that will give us lots of self-confidence through the next few weeks.”
Terzic admitted his side struggled in the French capital but said PSG would be facing a different Dortmund in the semis.
“We had some problems away from home but played a good game at home,” he said.
“You can see how we’ve developed, how solid we are now – we want to take advantage of that.”
[DailyTrust]
Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has sent his well wishes to Nigerian Chess Master, Tunde Onakoya, as he attempts to break the 58-hour chess marathon record.
The event is scheduled to take place from 10 am on April 17 to 8 pm on April 19, in Times Square, New York City.
Osinbajo wrote on his official X page: “Dear Tunde, Best of luck in Times Square as you attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the Longest Chess Marathon! Your resilience and spirit inspire us all. Remember your own powerful words: “It is possible to do great things from a small place.”
“Let the dynamic energy of Times Square amplify the greatness that you, a proud Nigerian, bring to the chessboard. We’re all behind you—show the world the strength and determination you are made of! God Bless You @Tunde_OD”
The Nation reported that Onakoya announced his attempt to break the record on his social media handle on Friday, April 12.
[TheNation]
Bernardo Silva says an unprecedented double treble is an “inspiration and motivation” as Man City prepare to host Real Madrid on Wednesday with a place in the Champions League semi-finals at stake.
Last season, Pep Guardiola’s men became just the second club in English history to win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup — 24 years after neighbours Manchester United achieved the feat.
Man City drew the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with 14-time European champions Real Madrid 3-3 at the Bernabeu last week.
As the finishing line of the 2023/24 season approaches, they are two points clear at the top of the Premier League with six games to go and face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.
Silva told reporters on Tuesday he was not surprised by City’s relentless success but said there was still a long way to go.
“Obviously it is an inspiration and motivation because we know how well this team has done since I’ve been here — this is my seventh season,” he said. “We want to create that legacy.”
The Portugal attacking midfielder added: “We want to win another Premier League to do six in seven years and to do four Premier Leagues in a row.
“We want the Champions League twice in a row… and if we can do that and two trebles in a row that no one did, that would be a legacy so that’s definitely motivation, knowing that it’s very, very difficult.
“Because in one week we could be out of all the competitions but we’re fighting for it and we’re going to do everything to be a step closer to that goal.”
Man City are playing Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the third successive season.
After defeat in 2021/22, Guardiola’s side demolished Real Madrid last season with a stunning 4-0 second-leg victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola cautioned Man City were “far away from hypothetical dreams” as he prepared to face Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
“There are six games (in the league),” he said. “We have a lot of difficult games home and away with opponents, we have, they have.
“It’s just one game at a time. That means Real Madrid tomorrow, what you have to do to beat them, and step by step,” explained the Man City manager, who made his name as a player and coach with Real’s arch Spanish rivals Barcelona.
“I started to think of the treble when we beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season… but the success for me this season is that we are still there.
“So after winning the treble, still being in that position with four, five, six weeks (to go) is hats off, incredible.”
Kaka, the Brazilian football legend, has spoken out about his divorce in 2015, responding to a strange claim made by his ex-wife.
Kaka married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico, while playing for AC Milan in 2005 and they had a son and daughter together, before splitting a decade later.
Last week, it was reported that Celico claimed she left the marriage, because “he was too perfect for me”.
But Kaka, now 41, speaking on a podcast, as reported by Spanish outlet Sport, insists he did everything he could to avoid the split.
He said: “In 2015 I was married, and my wife at the time decided she didn’t want to be married anymore.
“She said, ‘I’m not happy and I attribute my unhappiness to marriage’.
“I was living in the United States, and she asked to go back to Brazil.
“Her words were, ‘I want to go back to Brazil, I want to live there and I don’t want to be married anymore’.”
Manchester United have spoken to Alejandro Garnacho after the winger liked social media posts criticising manager Erik ten Hag over his handling of the player.
The Argentina international, taken off at half-time in their 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday, liked two messages on X, by United fan and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge.
One post accused Ten Hag of “throwing (Garnacho) under the bus” because of comments the United boss made about the 19-year-old’s performance.
The other said Garnacho “had a poor first half but taking him off at half-time and holding him up as the problem is a joke”.
Garnacho swiftly “unliked” both messages, an action the club believes shows contrition, and a United source told the PA news agency the matter had been dealt with internally.
The teenager has become a key player for United this season, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 42 games.
The incident follows one in September when Jadon Sancho said on X that he had been made a “scapegoat” after being left out of the squad for the Arsenal match, with Ten Hag saying he had trained poorly.
Sancho said he would “not allow people saying things that (are) completely untrue”, interpreted as accusing Ten Hag of misrepresenting reasons why he was not in the side.
The 24-year-old was banished from the first team before being loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January.
Ten Hag’s position has come under renewed pressure after the draw against Bournemouth, which left United seventh in the Premier League table, 13 points off the top four.
The FA Cup is the only silverware that United can win this season — they take on second-tier side Coventry in the semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
[Vanguard]
Former Nigeria midfielder, Sunday Oliseh, has said Victor Boniface will lead the country to triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Oliseh stated this in a tweet on Sunday after Boniface led Bayer Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga title.
The 23-year-old missed this year’s AFCON due to injury, but was a key member of Xabi Alonso’s squad as they dethroned Bayern Munich.
Oliseh wrote: “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.”
Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Victor Boniface has stressed that he and his club, Bayer Leverkusen are determined to win three titles this season.
On Sunday, April 14, Victor Boniface scored from the penalty spot in Bayer Leverkusen‘s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen at the BayArena. The win sealed the club’s first German Bundesliga triumph in the history of the club.
With the German Bundesliga title sealed ahead of the perennial winners of the title, the sight of the only undefeated team in the top five leagues in Europe are set on winning two more titles.
They are currently one draw away from reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League after beating West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of the tournament’s quarter-finals.
Victor Boniface and his teammates have also booked themselves a place in the final of the DFB Pokal where they will take on lowly-rated Kaiserslautern on May 25.
After helping Bayer Leverkusen to win their first Bundesliga title, the 23-year-old Boniface told Soccernet that he and his teammates are aiming for the treble.
“Of course, we have two [more] important trophies we are aiming at. We are in the DFB-Pokal Cup final, and we are also in the [UEFA] Europa League quarter-finals,” Boniface said.
“So it doesn’t stop here. So we have to push hard. We know we won the league, it’s a big achievement for us.
“But we also have two things [trophies] we are aiming at. So if we can have the perfect three, of course, we will celebrate more.”
More...
Bayer Leverkusen lifted the Bundesliga title for the first time in their 120-year history on Sunday, with a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen.
The title win breaks Bayern Munich’s 11-year stranglehold on the German top flight.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen knew victory would secure the title with five games to spare, but there were no signs of nerves in a dominant performance.
A hat-trick from Florian Wirtz and goals from Victor Boniface and Granit Xhaka extended their unbeaten run to a stunning 43 games in all competitions.
Alonso looked ahead to Thursday’s Europa League trip to London to face West Ham, making seven changes to his starting XI and benching stars Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, the latter for the first time in the league this season.
Piero Hincapie, Grimaldo’s replacement, had an early effort at goal saved but it would be the fit-again Boniface, making his first start since mid-December, who put the home side in front.
With 22 minutes gone, Jonas Hofmann was felled in the box by Bremen’s Julian Malatini, with the referee pointing to the spot after VAR urged him to view the contact again on the monitor.
Boniface stepped up and nervelessly slotted the penalty past a helpless Michael Zetterer to send the home fans into raptures.
Hofmann was almost the provider again shortly before half-time, his pass finding Amine Adli who fired against the crossbar.
Bremen started the second half strongly but their hopes of spoiling the party were snuffed out on the 60-minute mark, Boniface finding Xhaka who unleashed a long-range rocket before slapping his badge in front of the ecstatic home fans.
Wirtz, who came on at half-time for Adli, replicated Xhaka’s effort eight minutes later from almost the same spot on the pitch.
He added another with seven minutes remaining before sealing his hat-trick in the 90th minute as Leverkusen rid themselves of their nearly men tag in style.
Napoli’s slim chances of Champions League football were dealt another blow on Sunday after a 2-2 home draw in their Serie A match with struggling Frosinone.
Walid Cheddira’s first brace in Italy’s top flight earned a point for Frosinone in Naples.
It left ailing Italian champions Napoli in eighth, six points behind fifth-placed Roma, who can extend their advantage when they face Udinese later on Sunday.
Italian clubs’ strong performances in European football mean a top-five finish in Serie A is almost certain to gain a spot in the Champions League.
Napoli are increasingly unlikely to be among that group, and were booed off the pitch at a sparsely-populated Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Francesco Calzona’s side looked set for sixth place when Victor Osimhen diverted home Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s mishit shot in the 63rd minute.
Instead Cheddira, who had previously levelled Matteo Politano’s stunning early opener after the away side were gifted possession by Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, headed home his second 10 minutes after Osimhen’s strike.
Frosinone stay just inside the bottom three and level on 27 points with 17th-placed Verona, who are outside the relegation zone on goal difference and face Atalanta on Monday.
Eusebio Di Francesco’s team deserved the draw from an eventful game in which Meret initially looked to be the hero after he saved Matias Soule’s penalty on the half-hour mark.
Frosinone have only won one league match since late November but successive draws with Genoa, fourth-placed Bologna and now Napoli have boosted their hopes of staying up.
Later Inter Milan host Cagliari at the San Siro, where a win will guarantee an opportunity to seal their 20th league title in the Milan derby on Monday week.
Inter are a whopping 14 points ahead of closest challengers AC Milan, who are at Sassuolo on Sunday.
Beating Cagliari will ensure the derby will be a chance for Inter to claim the Scudetto regardless of how Milan do in their match.
[Vanguard]
Former England women’s player, Eniola Aluko, has become the first black woman to own a club in Italy.
Aluko has acquired a major stake in FC Como’s female team.
The 37-year-old confirmed this in a post on her X page, where revealed she is a part of a $100 million ownership group, known as Mercury 13, which acquired a majority stake.
Como Women was only established in 2020, and they use a 3,700-capacity stadium.
They currently play in the top flight of the Italian Serie A.
Eniola, who is the sister of former Super Eagles player Sone Aluko, was born in Lagos to Nigerian parents in 1987.
But she eventually naturalized to England and played for the Three Lionesses.
Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has identified the two fixtures that will cost Arsenal the Premier League title.
With seven matches left, the Gunners can go back to the top of the table with a win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
But Ferdinand believes that Mikel Arteta’s men will suffer two more defeats before the season’s end, which will eventually cost them the title in the process.
While predicting the run-in for TNT Sport, Ferdinand tipped Arsenal to lose 2-1 away at North London rivals Tottenham, before falling to another defeat against United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the campaign.
According to him, Erik ten Hag’s side will run out 3-2 winners against Arteta’s men.