Days after his proposed move to AC Milan collapsed following failed medicals, the Super Eagles striker has turned attention back home with a message that has excited fans in Nigeria, Footynaija.com reports.
The 24-year-old forward, who helped Bayer Leverkusen win their first ever Bundesliga title in 2024, revealed plans to set up a football academy in Akure, Ondo State. It is a move that connects with his beginnings, having grown up in a military barracks in the same city before his rise to Europe.
Boniface came through Royal Gold Soccer Academy in Akure before moving on to Real Sapphire Academy in Lagos, where he was groomed for the professional stage. From there, he made the leap to Norway’s Bodø/Glimt, later starred at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, and eventually found his way to Leverkusen, where he has become one of Africa’s standout strikers in Europe.
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“Opening a football academy in Akure. Watch out soon,” the Bayer Leverkusen star said via his Instagram Story, hinting that his long-nursed dream of giving back to the grassroots may soon become a reality.
The announcement comes just days after the collapse of his AC Milan transfer, a move that had been lined up as a loan with a purchase option. Italian outlets reported that the medicals raised red flags about Boniface’s right knee, which had previously suffered two ACL injuries. The deal was called off, leaving him to return to Germany.
Rather than dwell on the setback, Boniface is looking to channel his energy into inspiring the next generation. His choice of Akure for the project is symbolic, given that it was in the same city that his grandmother and early coaches first spotted his potential.
Real Sapphire, the Lagos academy that polished his talent before Europe came calling, has produced a string of Nigerian professionals. By launching his own project in Ondo State, Boniface appears set on building a similar pathway for children who, like him, started with patched boots and raw dreams.
