His belly is too big, he won't score goals — Victor Boniface slammed by ex-Bremen star

Victor Boniface is having a horrendous 2025/26 campaign, riddled with injuries, including serious knee and cartilage problems that required surgery, which have restricted him to very limited appearances.

The Super Eagles striker is yet to score a single goal this season and has seen his market value drop dramatically, by more than €25–35 million, leaving him valued at around €5 million now.

Werder Bremen manager Daniel Thioune recently showed sympathy toward the forward's situation. He explained that being told a promising young player cannot play for months, or even up to a year, can significantly affect their mindset.

Thioune said he will give Boniface opportunities as soon as he is fit enough, believing the striker can still pose a real threat to opponents in key matches.

However, former Werder Bremen champion and ex-Bundesliga top scorer Aílton Gonçalves da Silva is much more direct in his assessment.

The Brazilian told BILD that Boniface must urgently improve his fitness:

“His belly is unbelievable. He absolutely needs to shed some weight. In this shape, he cannot help Werder.

I don’t see him scoring any more goals for the club this season.”

Aílton, who faced similar comments about his own build during his playing days but still performed at a high level, added:“He is facing a big challenge and must now focus on himself.

"The season is almost over, so I wonder how strong his motivation is right now.”

Boniface was left out of the squad for Werder Bremen’s recent defeat against FC Köln, underlining the pressure on him to get into better shape quickly if he hopes to make any meaningful contribution before the Bundesliga season wraps up.