Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has shared how a highly lucrative move to Saudi Arabia collapsed at the last minute after he had already packed his bags and given away his designer clothes and shoes.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward was on the verge of signing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr during the January transfer window in a deal reportedly worth €45 million (approximately ₦80 billion) in wages over a proposed three-year contract.
Despite agreeing personal terms, passing his medical, and Bayer Leverkusen reaching a deal with Al-Nassr, the move fell through when the Saudi club opted to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran instead.
“There was one part that was about money. I have faced a lot of injuries and I am young,” Boniface said on The Culture League podcast.
It was the January transfer window, I had a great offer from Saudi. I was thinking, I have been injured so many times. If I go to this place, play two, three seasons… I started calling family.”
Boniface admitted the buzz around the potential deal made it harder to ignore.
I was on the internet, people were already calculating the money. I called my elder brother who loves football. I said to him, ‘I have an offer to go to this Saudi team; I also had an offer from a top team in Italy.’
“He said, ‘What’s wrong with you? Go to Italy — you’ll play in the Champions League, there’s the World Cup.’”
But the tone changed after his brother did some quick math.
“I asked him if he was sure, and he said, ‘Yes, no problem.’ So I ended the call. I dropped the phone and was still thinking, then two minutes later he called back.
He said, ‘Someone sent me something from Tunde Ednut.’ He saw the money, asked me if I was crazy, and told me I need to go to Saudi Arabia.”
Boniface said the decision wasn’t his alone, noting that Bayer Leverkusen also stood to gain from the deal.
I already agreed to the offer because it’s not just about me. It’s about the club too, because there’s a lot going on in the football world.
“People think it’s just about the football players, but it’s also coming from the club. If little money is offered to the club, they will say no. The club also wanted the money, it was about 70 million euros, and they said yes.”
With the green light from the club, Boniface believed the deal was a done deal.
“I was ready to go. I packed my bags. I live in Cologne, we drove to Frankfurt. The money is a lot, to be honest, so most of my designer clothes and shoes, I had already given them out to my friends at home.
The flight was waiting. I was in my hotel room praying for the deal to happen but it didn’t work out last minute.”
Since joining Bayer Leverkusen in July 2023, Boniface has contributed to 44 goals—scoring 32 and assisting 12—and is now being linked with a summer move to AC Milan.
