Bayer Leverkusen has an incredible 70 points after 26 matchdays and has the second-best interim balance in Bundesliga history – only Bayern were better in 2013/14 under Pep Guardiola (74). Ten years ago, the Munich team became German champions on March 25th and celebrated the earliest championship of all time seven match days before the end of the season. Leverkusen currently has a comfortable ten-point lead. That has never been lost so late, but Bayer can only celebrate the championship after matchday 29, i.e. on April 14th, at the earliest.
22 wins this season are already a new Bayer record
The Werkself have set a club record for a full season with 22 wins just eight match days before the end of the season. For the first time since matchday 22, Leverkusen will play a Bundesliga game on a Saturday. On the last three matchdays, Alonso’s team always played after Bayern and was able to calmly watch what their closest rivals had done. There is a possibility that striker Victor Boniface, who has been injured for a long time, could be back in the game against Hoffenheim. The fact that he is available again is another trump card that the Leverkusen team now has in the championship race.
Ask: Mr. Boniface, there are great photos from your time at Bodø/Glimt. You and your colleagues celebrated the Norwegian championship with golden hats. What was happening?
Victor Boniface: (looks at the photo on the reporter’s cell phone and laughs) That was after the second championship title. I remember it well. It was a very nice feeling.
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Ask: In Scandinavia, the football champions don’t win a “bowl”, but rather “gold”. Was that also the background for the hats?
Boniface: We had won the league, suddenly everyone was putting on these hats. And then I had to…
Ask: Bundesliga, DFB Cup or Europa League – which title would you choose if you had to choose one?
Boniface: If I had to? For the championship! Because Leverkusen deserves this title. This big club is missing the championship trophy. It would be an honor for me to be part of this historic success. But nobody wants to choose here. Everyone gives everything to be there until the end in the other competitions.
Ask: You are on the verge of a comeback after your adductor injury in January. With ten league goals, you are still Bayer’s top scorer despite the long break. Will you become a title booster?
Boniface: The team did very well without me. When I came to Leverkusen, I said that I didn’t look at rankings or individual ratings. Of course goals and assists are important, but what’s most important to me is being able to help the team with my style of play and just having fun. I really miss being on the pitch with my teammates and hope to be back soon.
Ask: Bayer has been undefeated in 38 competitive games since the start of the season. What do you think about it?
Boniface: Nobody expected something like that. That’s crazy. I don’t have a proper explanation for it either. But everyone on this team is hungry and always ready to give 100 percent. After five or six games I got the feeling that a lot is possible here – with this great team and the many good people around it.
Ask: You came from Saint-Gilloise in Belgium before the season and had prepared yourself for Bayer, especially Florian Wirtz, with YouTube videos, among other things.
Boniface: For me he is a magician – I’ve said that before. He is an incredible player and I am very happy that we have someone like him on the team.
Ask: If you call Wirtz the “Magician”, how would you describe coach Xabi Alonso?
Boniface: As a “genius” perhaps – our coach is simply a genius. Everyone knows how good he was as a player. But he is just as good as a coach. There is probably no better word for him.
Ask: What did Alonso say to you when you were seriously injured before the Africa Cup of Nations?
Boniface: I was in Dubai with the Nigerian national team to prepare. After the injury I got a message from him. He wrote: “How are you?” I replied: “I don’t know exactly. I have to come back.” The trainer was there when I was examined and the doctor told me that I needed surgery.
Ask: Did Alonso comfort you – and how did the words make you feel?
Boniface: It was extraordinary how the coach looked after me. For me personally, the news from the doctor was still a bitter disappointment. I couldn’t help the national team and at the same time I couldn’t help my club, which would have needed me too. But the coach said, “You don’t have to worry about that. You are strong enough and you will come back. And as a team we will make it good for you too.”
Ask: Even before you signed for Leverkusen, there were many photos of you in the red Bayer jersey on social media – why?
Boniface: We had played 1-1 in the quarter-final first leg of the Europa League in Leverkusen the previous season. I scored the opening goal and swapped shirts with Robert Andrich after the final whistle. A Nigerian journalist asked Xabi Alonso about me after the game. The coach said: “We can see that he is a very good player.” After that game I received a lot of nice messages from Leverkusen fans. That was unusual, otherwise you often get insulted by opposing fans, but now they congratulated me on the game. Even then, I could easily imagine moving to Bayer, especially since the club has a good reputation in Nigeria.
Ask: And Leverkusen wanted you very quickly.
Boniface: Yes, but Frankfurt was the first club I spoke to. Then with Leverkusen. Bayer then really tried extremely hard to look after me and always stuck with it. That left a strong impression on me. When I flew to Nigeria on vacation, there were delays, which were probably due to Saint-Gilloise. But I really wanted to go to Leverkusen, so I kept showing up in this red jersey to send a message: I’m 100 percent ready for Bayer.
Ask: English and Italian clubs also wanted to sign you.
Boniface: That’s correct. There were inquiries, but I told my agent that Leverkusen would be the best club for me. Players like Granit Xhaka and Jonas Hofmann were brought in before me, which also gave me a good feeling. Coming from Belgium, Leverkusen was the right choice for me. We play for titles here and inspire people in Germany and Europe. I’m very happy about it.
The interview was conducted for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.