By Kayode John
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface believes he has the edge over national team colleague Ademola Lookman in the race for the 2024 CAF Awards African Player of the Year prize.
Boniface scored 21 goals and registered 10 assists for Bayer Leverkusen in his first season at the club. He also played a key role as the club won their first Bundesliga title in the 2023/2024 campaign, which also ended with the DFB-Pokal trophy.
Lookman, who has been considered by many as the frontrunner for the biggest individual accolade in African football, bagged a personal record of 10 assists and 17 goals, including a hat-trick in the final of the UEFA Europa League against Boniface’s club, whose 51-game unbeaten run he ended in the one-man show at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland back in May.
Lookman also featured at the Africa Cup of Nations in February and scored three goals as the Super Eagles reached the final, while Boniface missed the tournament through injury.
“Probably between me and Lookman. I will go for myself as the African Footballer of the Year, I rate myself that high,” he said in an interview on SportyTV’s YouTube channel when asked who he thinks deserves to win the award this year.
“If it’s just what we did last season, I’ll pick myself.”
Among other things, the 23-year-old also spoke on the protracted summer transfer saga surrounding Victor Osimhen, with whom he shares some level of closeness.
“Three different parties – Napoli, Chelsea, Victor Osimhen. Osimhen’s mentality is strong. I know he really wants to go to the English Premier League,” the former Union Saint-Gilloise striker stated.
“I know that for sure because we spoke one time but whatever happened I don’t know. He knows I always wish him the best.
“There’s stuff that happened that nobody knows but people just talk on the internet. There are some details that people don’t know.”
Boniface has continued his impressive form this season, registering four goals and one assist in six matches for Leverkusen.
