The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) in their recent report has ranked Nigeria’s Victor Boniface as the fourth-best finisher in Europe’s top five leagues, above Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.
Boniface who propelled Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title on Sunday was only bested by Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav, and Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, in what appears to be a tight race between the elite strikers.
CIES report utilised data centred on footballers who have played at least 1,000 minutes in domestic league matches for their current clubs between April 2023 and March 2024, taking the number of eligible players (across all positions) to 13,132 from 73 leagues globally.
Narrowed to players plying their trade in Europe, fourth-placed Boniface amassed 92.6 points for finishing accuracy, one point shy of first-placed Kane. The 23-year-old was also the youngest player to make the top 10 list.
Boniface who recently just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, remains Leverkusen’s highest goalscorer with 27 goal involvement in 26 appearances across all competitions this season.
The ex-Bodø/Glimt’s striker is on course to complete a treble for the Die Werkself, as the Xabi Alonso-tutored side are still very much in the race to win the DFB Pokal and Europa League to conclude their season in the most improbable fashion ever witnessed in football.
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