SUPER Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface, has recounted how he used to pay a token of ₦30 as a young player to watch Champions League matches, and is now living his dream by playing in the same competition.
Boniface reflected on his journey in a post obtained from Fabrizio Romano’s X handle on Friday.
The striker was expressing his delight at playing in his first Champions League match during his team’s 4-0 victory against Feyenoord on Thursday.
The German club signed Boniface from Union SG to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 in a deal worth over €21.7m.
He said: “From paying 30 naira to watch the Champions League… to playing my first Champions League game. Proud of this moment.”
Recalled in-form Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz also enjoyed a dream Champions League debut Thursday, as two first-half goals powered the Bundesliga winners to a 4-0 humiliation of Dutch side Feyenoord.
Xabi Alonso’s men killed the game off by half-time, their attacking pace and precision overwhelming a defensively frail Feyenoord, who looked a shadow of last season’s side under Arne Slot, now at Liverpool.
The match started terribly for the hosts, Algerian defender Ramiz Zerrouki losing possession in front of goal with just five minutes gone, gifting the ball to midfielder Robert Andrich.
A simple pass set up Wirtz for a one-on-one with Timon Wellenreuther in the Feyenoord goal and the German made no mistake, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner with confidence.
Wirtz is in red-hot form, already finding the back of the net three times in the Bundesliga this season and also scoring on international duty for Germany.
