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Victor Boniface spoke on his turbulent journey to the top, detailing his injury problems and other factors which almost led to an early retirement.
Nigerian striker Victor Boniface has been in the news lately for an injury which has kept him out of the Super Eagles squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but the 23-year-old has a lengthy history with the treatment table.
Boniface revealed his extremely gruesome injury history and how it affected his career and mental health, almost forcing him into an early retirement.
The 23-year-old made the revelations while speaking as a guest on episode eight of the Obi One Podcast along with the hosts Mikel John Obi and Chris McHardy.
Victor Boniface details his journey to the top
Victor Boniface left Nigeria in 2019 to begin his career in Europe for Glimt out in Norway having previously been on the books of Real Sapphire in Nigeria.
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“We won the league (with Glimt), after that, we travelled back to Bodo. We went to the stadium, partying, drinking, everything," Boniface said.
The Nigerian continued, "I went home. Before this i was linked to Club Brugge in Belgium, we agreed a deal. I wanted to just finish the season and travel to Belgium for the deal.”
“After the party, I went to bed, my leg was so swollen, I thought it was nothing serious. Maybe just swollen from a past injury. I went to the training ground to see the doctor the next day, we went to do an MRI scan. When I saw the doctor, he told me something bad happened and I tore my ACL again," he continued.
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“It was hell. I spoke to coach, I said I wanted to go back to Nigeria. I travelled. It was the worst. During this time, I’m the only child of my mum, I lost my mum during this process also. I had injury, I was waiting for a big transfer to Belgium. My head was gone to be honest. I started doing crazy stuff. I was thinking what shall I do after football? At the age of 21, 22 It had two ACL’S. it was so terrible for me.”, Boniface added.
Boniface almost retired from football
The Nigerian star detailed his journey back from the injury and how the entire situation almost forced him into retirement way earlier in his career.
“They said I had to do surgery, but may not need it for a few months. It was 14 months total. I almost give up. I travelled to Spain with the team for pre-season camp, we was sitting outside… I was like f*ck my life. To be honest i was going through it. I had my surgery, I kept believing in god, kept training,” he said.
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“After 5 months we played the Conference League vs AS Roma, 45 Minutes before the game I was in the VIP section, walking around to get something to eat. I received a call from my agent… he said to me ‘I want to let you know some clubs saw you, they was asking me whats your situation from your injury’ – that gave me confidence, I said, ok I will play for 6 months and it’s coming soon.”
“My mentality changed. If I’m injured and people are thinking about me, what happens when I’m back? I trained hard to come back. An offer came, I left to Belgium (for Union SG). During this time, the whole team was there for me. In general, Norwegian people are top. They take care of foreign players in general," he rounded up.
It is a good thing Boniface overcame his challenges and did not quit as he is now one of the very best strikers in Europe with 16 goals and eight assists this season for high-flying Bayer Leverkusen.
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