Victor Boniface Can Earn Bayer Leverkusen Starting Spot If He Addresses Fitness Concerns, Says Sporting Director Simon Rolfes

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has publicly outlined what Victor Boniface must do to force his way back into contention for a starting berth at the club, pointing to weight management and overall fitness as the critical factors standing between the Nigerian forward and regular first-team football.

Speaking to Sport Bild, as reported by Rheinpfalz, the 44-year-old director offered a cautiously positive assessment of Boniface’s physical recovery while flagging one persistent area of concern. “The knee looks pretty good today. But the weight is a bit of his weak spot. It’s our goal to get him back in top form. Then he has a chance to play for many teams,” Rolfes said.

The comments reflect a carefully managed situation involving one of the Bundesliga’s most explosive attacking talents. Boniface joined Leverkusen from Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer of 2023 and immediately established himself as a central figure in the club’s history-making campaign — an unbeaten Bundesliga title run that ended a 119-year wait for a first German league championship. His contributions that season left a lasting impression on the club’s hierarchy.

“We text every few days. We will never forget what Boniface did for us in the season we won the league. That’s when he embodied what we needed, this attack mode,” Rolfes added, underscoring the regard in which the Super Eagles striker is still held at the club despite his subsequent difficulties.

Those difficulties have been considerable. A significant adductor injury disrupted Boniface’s 2023/24 campaign and limited his availability for extended periods. The physical setbacks ultimately led to a loan spell at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, where he sought consistent playing time and a pathway back to full fitness. His contract with Leverkusen runs until the summer of 2028, meaning the club retains a long-term interest in his development and return to form.

Rolfes confirmed that Boniface’s knee — the focus of the most recent injury concern — is now in an encouraging condition, but the broader question of the forward’s physicality remains a work in progress. The sporting director’s remarks suggest Leverkusen are monitoring the situation closely and have not closed the door on reintegrating Boniface into their first-team plans, provided he meets the physical benchmarks required to compete at the top level of German football.

At his peak, Boniface demonstrated the qualities that made him one of the more dangerous centre-forwards in the Bundesliga — a combination of pace, physicality, and finishing that unsettled opposition defences throughout Leverkusen’s title-winning season. Recapturing that level of output will be essential if he is to re-establish himself at a club that, under head coach Xabi Alonso, has maintained high standards and considerable depth in attacking areas.

With the new Bundesliga season approaching, the coming weeks of pre-season preparation will be critical in determining whether Boniface can make a convincing case for inclusion in Leverkusen’s first-team plans or whether an alternative arrangement will again be necessary.