Victor Boniface matched Austin Jay-Jay Okocha’s Bundesliga record following a standout performance in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the disappointing result for Xabi Alonso’s side, Boniface made headlines by scoring the opener in the fourth minute. He could have secured a winner later in the match, but his goal was disallowed by VAR.
This match marked Boniface’s fourth league goal of the season, coming just days after he netted his first Champions League goal. More significantly, his latest strike brought his total to 18 goals in the Bundesliga, equaling Okocha’s tally in the competition.
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Okocha scored 18 goals during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1990s. Boniface reached this milestone in only his second season, achieving it in just 29 appearances, whereas Okocha required 90 matches to hit the same mark.
With this goal, Boniface now sits joint-fifth with Okocha on the list of highest-scoring Nigerians in Bundesliga history. He is four goals away from surpassing Taiwo Awoniyi in fourth place, 13 away from overtaking Anthony Ujah in third, and 15 behind Victor Agali in second.
However, Boniface still has a long way to go to dethrone Jonathan Akpoborie, who remains Nigeria’s all-time leading scorer in the Bundesliga with 60 goals.