Xabi Alonso: Boniface Will Have to Fight for His Place at Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen’s head coach, Xabi Alonso, has made it clear that Nigeria’s Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface, will need to earn his spot back in the starting lineup once he recovers from injury. Boniface has been sidelined since suffering an injury while representing Nigeria during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, leaving a gap in the Leverkusen attack.
During Boniface’s absence, Czech forward Patrik Schick has seized the opportunity to shine, scoring eight goals in nine games, including a remarkable four-goal performance against Freiburg last weekend. Alonso, speaking to OmaSports, acknowledged the competition for places in the team, stressing the importance of every player fighting for their position.
“I have difficulty in choosing players to use in all the positions, I like to have it,” Alonso said. “What we want is that everyone is fighting for a position to get better and help the team.”
Alonso emphasized that with a busy fixture schedule ahead, every player will have their chance to contribute. However, he highlighted that both Boniface and Schick will have the opportunity to compete for the starting role once Boniface is fully fit.
“We’ll have so many games, all the players will have their moments,” Alonso explained. “But the most important is that in the same way that Patrik Schick is in good form, we want to have Boniface in good form as well. We want him fully fit so that he forgets his injuries, he is working hard on the pitch, and scoring goals.”
Ultimately, Alonso believes that the competition between Boniface and Schick will decide who earns the starting role, with the player who proves themselves in training and matches getting the opportunity to play. “Boniface and Schick decide who plays because the one that deserves and proves himself usually gets the chance,” Alonso concluded.
