A rollercoaster season for Victor Boniface hit new heights wen im score di opening goal in a 5-0 victory wey seal a first Bundesliga title for Bayer Leverkusen.
Di result against Werder Bremen on Sunday bin dey as strong as di club dia unbeaten run for di league campaign.
As Leverkusen fans rush enta di pitch to celebrate, di 23-year-old Nigeria striker get one message for dem.
“We dey celebrate a great achievement for di league but we still get two oda competitions (di Europa League and German Cup final) to compete in and try to win for our fans,” e tok.
Na good tin say Boniface start dat Sunday, given di way im get di ball rolling with a strong start to di season following im reported $25m (£20m) move from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise last July.
Im score eight goals for im first seven games across three different competitions, and den get anoda purple patch through December, notching five times in di space of three weeks for di run up to Christmas.
As e rack up 16 goals in all competitions, and establish a strong understanding with club talisman Florian Wirtz, Boniface rollercoaster suddenly turn into a house of horrors.
One groin injury rule am out of di Africa Cup of Nations just days before di tournament for Ivory Coast, wia di Super Eagles eventually finish as runners-up.
“Only God know why,” im bin post on social media, before e tell BBC Sport Africa: “E get some tins wey go happen wey you no fit explain am becos e dey beyond your own understanding”.
Europe and Injuries
Nations Cup heartbreak no be new tin for Boniface, as di striker bin don miss out on 2019 Under-20 Afcon becos of anoda late injury.
At di age of 18, e damage im anterior cruciate ligament just weeks afta e move to Europe to join Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt, wey come complicate im adjustment to life in Scandinavia as well as rob am of dat formative appearance on di international stage with di Flying Eagles.
However, despite a second ACL injury, by di time im leave di Eliteserien club for 2022, im don play a part to help Glimt win two league titles.
Dia 2020 triumph, for Boniface debut season, na di first time di club don ever finish top of di pile for Norway.
E sound familiar?
E come dey agonisingly close to repeating dat trick for im only season for Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise, as di club finish second for di Pro League, behind champions Genk only on goal difference.
E for be di club first title since 1935.
Boniface net 15 times during dat 2022-23 season, wey draw particular praise for im performances and six goals in di Europa League as Union reach di quarter-finals.
Di team wey knock dem out? Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes claim say di Germans already bin dey interested before Boniface goal for di last-eight tie between di sides, but im strike for one losing cause for di BayArena no do anytin to put dem off.
But as pipo later find out, di European ride nearly comot from di rails before e really build up speed.
Di loss of im mama for 2019, as well as di two ACL injuries, damage Boniface love of di game for a while, and e lead to alcohol abuse and even suicidal thoughts for a time while im bin dey Norway.
“I stop to pay attention to my diet and start to party,” e recall.
“I no even be drinker before den but I start to drink just to feel sometin. I bin dey depressed and I no even realise am.”
Leverkusen African pride
From di lows of depression, Boniface rehabilitation don ride to new levels for Bayer Leverkusen – but im no be di only African wey bin dey make an impression as part of Xabi Alonso formidable side.
Ivory Coast Nations Cup winner Odilon Kossounou and fellow central defender Edmond Tapsoba of Burkina Faso also don be stalwarts for di back, while Nigeria Nathan Tella and Morocco Amine Adil don bin dey largely used as effective impact substitutes for attack.
Di success of di quintet don ginger widespread interest across Africa, with dis season storyline wey possess extra intrigue.
Di 120-year-old club bin get di name “Neverkusen” by fans in Germany due to dia way of finding surprising new ways to come up short – not di least wen Leverkusen finish as runners-up for di league, domestic cup and Champions League for 2001-02.
But na Boniface wey don get most of di headlines, beating Bayern Munich dia $105m (£86m) new signing, England captain Harry Kane, to August Bundesliga Player of di Month award, as well as claiming four consecutive Rookie of di Month awards (August, September, October and November), honour wey dem dey give to stars wey no dey older dan 23 for di start of di league season.
Now wey e don fully recover from im groin injury, Boniface get di chance to add two more pieces of silverware to im collection, and e look like say e don dey hit form again with two goals for im last two games.
First up na di second leg of Leverkusen Europa League quarter-final against West Ham for London on Thursday, wia di Germans hold a 2-0 advantage.
Di German Cup final against Kaiserslautern on 25 May go provide a glorious chance to end im first season with di club on anoda high.
“I don win a league title before,” Boniface tok, as di beer dey flow freely in celebration for BayArena on Sunday. “But dat one dey different. Dis one dey bigger.”
Di striker journey dey full of twists and turns so far but e still get plenty more track ahead of am, including for next season newly-expanded Champions League – although e already dey linked with moves away from Germany.
For now, na Leverkusen and Nigeria fans dey scream about im success and e look like say Boniface wan go faster.
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