Boniface Narrates Why He Almost Punched His Former Teammate at Bayer Leverkusen
- Victor Boniface has opened up on the dressing room altercation he had with a teammate at Bayer Leverkusen
- Boniface has been in the news recently for his ‘unserious’ reputation and off-field antics supposedly clouding his talents
- The striker's proposed move to AC Milan collapsed during medicals before he joined Werder Bremen on loan
Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface has opened up on a dressing room altercation with a Bayer Leverkusen teammate last season.
Bayer Leverkusen thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 on March 1, 2025, and the incident between Boniface and Emiliano Buendia nearly overshadowed the victory.
Source: Getty Images
Both players were second-half substitutes with the scores already 4-1, and were desperate to score a goal. The Nigerian was returning from injury, while the Argentine was trying to impress on loan.
Boniface opens up on altercation with Buendia
Boniface has spoken for the first time about the incident more than six months after it happened, with both players no longer at Leverkusen.
The Werder Bremen loan striker, speaking on the Culture League Podcast, narrated the incident and confirmed Jeremie Frimpong held him from punching Buendia.
“I almost punched him,” Boniface said. “Before coming on to the pitch, I was already angry because we were leading 4-0 and other players were substituted in my position while I was on the bench.
“He tried to shoot, but missed, and as a striker, the ball bounced in front of me, and I took the shot, but it was blocked, after which he made words I won't say out.”
Nigerian fans were divided on his revelation; some believe attempting to punch a teammate is the last thing he should speak about, while others believe it's a normal occurrence between teammates.
@aje_olukay wrote:
“Based on his narration of the background happenings, the actual event as it played out on the field, the reaction of the said teammate and himself, added to the adrenaline that flows with the game, the situation is not unusual. They are all pure human emotions, that’s all.”
@kambbi wrote:
“Several players have talked about a fight they had with their teammates. Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Roy Keane, the list is endless! Evra and Cantona even kicked fans in a stadium on live TV. Zidane head-butted in a WC final.”
Source: Getty Images
Alonso spoke about Boniface-Buendia altercation
Former Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, who was in charge of the team at that time, downplayed the incident, describing it as things that happen on the pitch.
“I spoke with Boni, I don’t have all the details, but Boni wanted to shoot, it can happen,” he said after the match, as quoted by Sports Star.
“We don’t want to make something big out of something so small. We’re staying calm. On Monday, we’ll keep going again.”
Boniface hit back at critics
Legit.ng reported that Boniface hit back at his critics after his proposed move to AC Milan collapsed. The Italian club detected issues during medical checks.
Fans, particularly ladies, criticised him, claiming he is more focused on social media than he is on his football career, which he responded to on Instagram.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
