'I used to play in midfield' - Bayer Leverkusen star Boniface explains why he's not the classic striker 

Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface has explained why he is not the classic striker who is just expected to put himself in dangerous positions to score goals.

The 22-year-old announced how prolific he is last season when he emerged as the joint top-scorer in the UEFA Europa League alongside Manchester United forward, Marcus Rashford.

He has also continued that form with Bayer Leverkusen this term, scoring 6 goals in his first 6 games in the Bundesliga, thereby locking horns with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy and Jonas Wind for the top scorer in the German top-flight so far.

When asked about the kind of striker he is, Boniface said that his style is more than that of a normal goalscorer by referring to the position he used to play before becoming a striker.

"Exactly. There are lots of classic strikers. They wait for their moment in the penalty area. But then it can happen that they don't touch the ball for ten minutes," Boniface said to Bayer Leverkusen's official website. 

"I don't like that. I want to play differently, create chances and not just finish them. I like dropping back to take part in the build-up and I like pulling opposition defenders towards me and thereby creating space for my teammates.

"A bit of this style is in my nature. I used to play in midfield and increasingly took part in build-up play. I often watch videos of tricky and intelligent players to develop my game in that way to be able to help the team even more."

Statistically, Boniface is right in his admissions when we take a look at his assist tally since his arrival in Europe.

He managed, 8 assists for FK Bodø/Glimt in 66 appearances, 12 for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in 51 games and has recorded 3 so far for Bayer Leverkusen, which is impressive for a striker.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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