The number of Nigerian players plying their trade in Belgium is about to swell with top division side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise close to sealing a deal for a Nigerian forward.
The club is one of the most successful in the history of Belgian football. The club won eleven Belgian championships between 1904 and 1935, making it the most successful Belgian club before World War II.
In 2021 , Union won promotion back to the Belgian First Division A, marking its first appearance in top-flight football in 48 years. A feat which got better as they clinched a spot in the UEFA Champions League in their first season back in the top division.
They finished top of the table at the end of the regular season, the first club in Belgian history to do so the season after promotion to the top flight. Union would go on to finish second in the champions play off, securing Champions League qualification for the first time ever in club history.
The club is owned by Tony Bloom, who also owns Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League. Several of Brighton’s players have been loaned to Union SG, including Deniz Undav, who was the Belgian club’s top scorer last season.
As part of their preparation for the qualifiers they have set their sights on former Nigeria U20 forward Victor Boniface who currently plays for Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt. He has shown really good form this year in the early stages of the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League.
Boniface has scored five goals in four gamea so far and according to several reports in Norway, he caught the attention of lot of teams around Europe but Union SG are said to be the favourite for his signing.
Already his club FK Bodø/Glimt have signed his replacement in Strømsgodset’s Lars-Jørgen Salvesen with his agent Atta Aneke quoted as saying it will make no sense to have both players in the same team. It is seen as a hint that Boniface is on his way out.
“I think it would be stupid to have Victor and Lars Jørgen, two strikers who absolutely should and should play in any Eliteserie club, as competitors in the same club. It would be bad business for me, Glimt and the players.
“I don’t think that would be a smart idea. But in this case, we’ll see if Victor is there next week, Aneke stated in an interview on on the podcast “Synseligaen” where he was a guest.