Club Brugge coach, Ronny Deila, has admitted that he was ‘stupid’ to pass up a chance to sign Nigerian striker Victor Boniface during his time as Valerenga coach.
Boniface who has since enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last four years underwent trials at Valerenga and was rejected by the club when Deila was in charge.
But the 22-year-old striker joined former Norwegian giants Bodø/Glimt in 2019 and after an impressive spell at the club he moved to Belgian side Royale Union Saint Gilliose in a deal worth €6.1m.
Following an impressive debut season in Belgium, Boniface’s outstanding form saw him earn a €20m move to Bayer Leverkusen after he had scored 17 goals and 12 assists in 51 games.
Since he arrived at the club in the summer, Boniface has been on fire. His performances have been absolutely outstanding registering
six goals and three assists in six appearances.
“I made a mistake once, but that had nothing to do with work ethic. Boniface was on trial with me at Valerenga,” Deila told Nieuwsblad
“I already had a similar striker, so I didn’t really care about Boniface. He went to Bodø/Glimt afterwards. Stupid of me.”