Victor Boniface has shared the skills he has picked up watching Brazil icons Neymar and Robinho, ex-Newcastle United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, two-tine European champion Santi Cazorla and reigning African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker highlighted that the aforementioned players have played major roles in shaping in his career and watches YouTube clips of these South American and European players to fire himself up before games.
Boniface has set the Bundesliga alight since swapping Union Saint-Gilloise for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023, and played a key role as the Black and Reds won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal in his first season in Germany.
Despite spending close to three months on the sidelines due to an injury he sustained during Nigeria’s training camp before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Boniface banged in 21 goals in 34 games while producing ten assists.
He has followed that up by registering five goal involvements (4 goals, 1 assist) in six appearances so far this season.
Speaking to SportyTV, Boniface revealed how Neymar, Robinho, Ben Arfa, Cazorla, and Osimhen have influenced his career.
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“There are four players I watch. If you come to my house, put my YouTube I watch them even before games. I watch Neymar number one, Hatem Ben Arfa, Robinho and Santi Cazorla,”he said.
“As a striker nobody will tell you when to finish one touch, two touch. I try to learn those tight spaces, what to do to beat a defender 1v1. I try to learn from those guys.
“If you watch my games, you see me in the midfield trying to create something, that’s the type of player.
“Every striker, like Victor Osimhen for example, he has this aggressiveness in his game, he’s a fighter, so I try to learn that from Victor also. I try to learn from all these players I mentioned also.
“This is my style of play, I want to know how to beat defenders 1v1. If I’m on the wing, what will a normal winger do, I want to do it. If I’m in midfield, I want to do what the midfielder does, not playing like a striker when I’m in midfield.”
All eyes will be on the biggest Nigerian star in Germany on Saturday evening when Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich take on Bayer Leverkusen in a Bundesliga clash at Allianz Arena (München).
(SOURCE: All Nigeria Soccer)
