Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has been left out of Bayer Leverkusen‘s Europa League matchday squad ahead of the trip to Greece, where the 2024 finalist will take on OFI Crete on Thursday evening.

Boniface has featured once this season for Leverkusen as he came off the bench in the club’s opening day Bundesliga 3-2 loss to newcomers SV Elversberg.

Since then, Boniface hasn’t featured for the club, seldom making the bench as an unused substitute or not being included in the matchday squad in some instances.

Boniface’s lack of playing time could be traced to when he left the stadium in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-3 win over Mainz. The striker left before the match ended out of frustration at not being involved.

The striker reportedly acknowledged his mistake, but his situation has not changed since.

Ahead of the trip to Greece, the club had the opponent to replace injured French forward Martin Terrier with a player.

Martin Terrier is expected to be out until December after he suffered a muscular injury in Leverkusen’s 4-0 win over Lech Poznan.

The situation presented Leverkusen with the opportunity to register another player. However, Boniface was overlooked, and veteran midfielder Jonas Hofmann was selected instead to join the rest of the squad.

The 25-year-old has fallen in the pecking order of forwards in the club as coach Carles Martinez prefers Czech striker and young Cameroonian forward Christian Kofane, who is currently injured.

Victor Boniface will probably consider his options in the Winter transfer window if his situation doesn’t change, as he looks to get regular playing time.

The former Bodo Glimt striker played an important role in helping Bayer Leverkusen win their maiden Bundesliga title in the 2023/2024 season, where he scored 14 goals in 23 matches. He also won a couple of invidual accolades en route the historic win under former manger Xabi Alonso.

Boniface’s lack of minutes on the pitch has significantly affected his chances of being selected for national team duties.

The striker last played for the Super Eagles in March 2025 as he came on as a second-half substitute in the one-all draw against Zimbabwe in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match in Uyo.

Victor Boniface’s long-term knee injury in January 2026 saw him miss the remainder of the 2025/2026 football season and only returned to training during the off-season.

Victor Boniface is contracted to Bayer Leverkusen until the summer of 2028.