The football world moves at lightning speed, and dreams can shatter in an instant. Just ask Victor Boniface, the promising Nigerian forward from Bayer Leverkusen. He was on the cusp of a major move, almost packing his bags for a loan spell with Italian giants AC Milan. The deal even included a hefty 24-million-euro option for Milan to make the move permanent. But then, as it often happens, the medical tests came calling.
Italian reports confirm that Milan’s doctors found some significant issues with Boniface’s right knee. Those findings slammed the brakes on the transfer. Milan quickly pulled out, turning their attention to other targets. One name that popped up was our familiar friend, Conrad Harder.
Boniface was actually given permission by his German club to travel for these medicals. That meant he missed out on Leverkusen’s home match against Hoffenheim on Saturday, a game they ultimately lost 2-1. So, here’s a player who just saw his big European move fall through, sidelined from his team, and what does he do?
Boniface underwent medical tests at Milan
He hopped onto Twitch and started streaming the popular video game Call of Duty. Can you believe it? Fans from both clubs were pretty stunned. His chat was blowing up with hundreds of questions about the failed transfer from the Bundesliga to Serie A. But Boniface mostly ignored them. He just kept his eyes on the game.
This isn’t the first time Boniface has had a major transfer snatched away at the last second. Back in July, he nearly moved to the Saudi league. He even spoke out about how that deal falling apart left him in a tough spot.
“I was ready to go,” he told Italian press. “I packed my bags. I live in Cologne, we drove to Frankfurt. To be honest, it was a lot of money. I had already given most of my shoes and designer clothes to my friends. The flight was waiting. I was in the hotel room praying for the deal to go through, but, at the last minute, it didn’t work out, it fell through.”
Adding another layer to this story, Italian media suggests that Boniface’s long-standing knee issue might have worsened. They point to an “individualized training program” designed by a “personal trainer” who wasn’t linked to Milan. It makes you wonder about the advice athletes sometimes get.