Boniface: From patched boots to Bundesliga

<p>New Bayern Leverkusen signing, Victor Boniface, has never been shy of sharing his compelling grass-to-grace story and new revelations have emerged of how the Nigerian striker first caught the eye of scouts while playing in Akure, the Ondo State capital, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.</p>, <p>The 22-year-old joined German giants Leverkusen on a five-year deal worth €20m with an additional €7.5m allocated for add-ons and contractual clauses after just a year with Union SG in Belgium. It is the most expensive sale in the history of Union, dwarfing the €7m received from Club Brugge for Casper Nielsen last year.</p>, <p>Apparently, Boniface always caught attention, and that was how the Bundesliga move materialised after his remarkable display against Xabi Alonso’s team in the UEFA Europa League last season. The former Liverpool player showered praises on the Nigerian, labeling him a terrific player and a serious threat to opposition defences.</p>, <p>Some 11 years ago in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Boniface’s exceptional talent began to bloom during a scouting competition at his school, T-Chris International School, before moving on to join Royal Gold Soccer Academy, also in Akure and later on Real Saphire FC, where he eventually secured a move to Bodo Glimt in Norway.</p>, <p>Boniface’s coach at Royal Gold Soccer Academy, Blessing Johnson, also known as Perez, told PUNCH Sports Extra about the qualities of the player on-and-off the pitch.</p>, <p>“We had a scouting competition and he won the best player award during the tournament. That was how I brought him into my team,” Johnson told our correspondent.</p>, <p>“After some time, his grandmother approached me about the difficulty of transporting him to training but we found a way around it and he continued. Some years later, he also emerged as the best player in another competition.</p>, <p>“He has a very good attitude and I think that is reflective of his upbringing. It was not difficult to nature him until he joined Real Sapphire. At the beginning, he was not al