Eguavoen Defends Boniface’s Goal Drought, Cites Playing Style Similar to Romario

Interim head coach of the Nigerian Super Eagles, Austine Eguavoen, has come to the defense of striker Victor Boniface following his poor performance in the team’s 1-0 win over Libya in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Despite being in stellar form for his club, Bayer Leverkusen, where he has scored five goals in his last six appearances, Boniface has yet to score for the Super Eagles in eight matches.

Eguavoen attributed Boniface’s goal drought to his playing style, which he compared to that of Brazilian legend Romario. “Boniface plays like Romario that loves to dress the ball, but I will speak to him. If he decides on time, Boniface will score a lot of goals for Super Eagles,” Eguavoen said during the post-match conference.

The coach expressed confidence in Boniface’s potential, highlighting that his style of play, while different, is not a reflection of his true quality. Boniface was substituted off after 75 minutes of the game against Libya, marking the third consecutive game in the AFCON qualifiers where he was subbed off without scoring.

With Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year, sidelined due to fitness issues, the goal-scoring duties fell heavily on Boniface. However, despite starting the 2024/25 season strongly for Leverkusen, Boniface has struggled to replicate this form for Nigeria, extending his goalless streak to seven games for the national team.