Super Eagles duo of Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen for the first time in their history on Sunday.
Boniface was impressive in the title-clinching 5-0 win over Werder Bremen at the Bay Arena. He scored one and recorded one assist to end the club’s 120-year wait for Bundesliga glory.
The Super Eagles forward has been missing in action for four months due to a groin injury and he marked his first start with a goal and an assist on an historic night for him and the club.
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Xabi Alonso has drawn praises from far and wide for Bayer Leverkusen’s style of play, and winning the title with five games to spare while still unbeaten in all competitions in April has further boosted his impressive CV.
Tella was also handed a start in the game and he played a pivotal role in the first goal. He has made 31 appearances and recorded three assists for Bayer Leverkusen in all competitions this season.
Boniface has endeared himself to the fans of the club since joining in the summer from Belgian side, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise with several match-winning goals and impressive overall performances sprinkled with regular entertaining posts on social media.
He has scored 11 goals and bagged nine assists in the Bundesliga, while scoring 18 goals in competitions.
Boniface and Tella have become the latest Nigerian players to win the Bundesliga title, joining the likes of Sunday Oliseh and Pascal Ojigwe.
Oliseh played a starring role for the Borussia Dortmund side that clinched the title in the 2001/02 season, while Ojigwe was part of the Kaiserslautern side that won the league in the 1997/98 season.
Bayer Leverkusen are still in the hunt for an historic treble, they are in the final of the German Cup with a date against Kaiserslautern in May, while also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a comfortable first leg 2-0 win over West Ham.
However, like Oliver Twist, Victor Boniface is eyeing an historic treble for the club before the end of the season.
Boniface said: “Of course, we have two [more] important trophies we are aiming at. We are in the DFB-Pokal Cup final, and we are also in the [UEFA] Europa League quarter-finals,”
“So, it doesn’t stop here. We have to push hard. We know we won the league, it’s a big achievement for us.
“But we also have two things [trophies] we are aiming at. So, if we can have the perfect three, of course we will celebrate more.”
Up next for Bayer Leverkusen is the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final clash against West Ham in England.