Victor Boniface says he feels 'unlucky' with the Nigerian national team, after scoring just one goal in 13 appearances for the Super Eagles, even when his club form signalled him as one of Africa's brightest attacking prospects.
After prolific goalscoring performances with Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface was expected to not only provide healthy competition for Victor Osimhen, and serve as an efficient strike partner, but also to be the go to man when the former Africa Player of the Year was unavailable for the Eagles.
Those hopes went unfulfilled, with his lone strike for Nigeria coming in an international friendly. Boniface, who joined Werder Bremen this offseason, admitted that despite his performances, his production has not matched the expectations that come with his reputation.
"I would just say I am unlucky with the national team in terms of scoring goals," Boniface told reporters during a round table organised by Bremen.
"There are some games where I did really good, but the goalscoring part is the most important thing presently in the world of football."
A consequence of that lack of production is that Boniface, 24, has now found himself out of the Nigeria squad and is unlikely to make the squad for the upcoming World Cup playoffs, starting with their first game against Gabon in November.
The Super Eagles face a difficult task against the Gabonese team, led by former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Bremen forward says he is confident that his teammates can get the job done.
"I wish that hopefully the team is going to achieve something great," he said. "If you see those players in training, if you see them in games, you will see the desire that they really want to give everything.
"They give 100% because they want to be at the World Cup, and I hope everything goes well."
Despite not expected to be in the squad for the foreseeable future, Boniface remains grateful to have made it this far.
"My biggest dream as a football player was to have this moment of representing my country, which I achieved by myself, by pushing myself to that point, and I am really grateful for it," he said.
"Just because it did not work out good doesn't mean I am a bad player. I am really happy I represented my country."
The striker's ill-luck with Nigeria appears to have extended to club level. After a move to Italian giants AC Milan was scuttled at the last minute, he joined Bremen, but has struggled to rediscover the form that saw him hit 14 goals and 8 assists in his debut Bundesliga campaign.
On this pass, he has gone13 games without a goal and recording just one assist since joining Bremen, but the forward insists that there is more to his game than just goals alone.
He said: "I'm new to the club and to the city so I am just getting used to everything. Sometimes in football you go to a club and it just clicks. Now, I am here, people are focusing more on goals but if you watch the games, you will see what I contribute to the team.
"Like the Union Berlin game, I did not score or get an assist, but if you watch the game, you know what this guy is bringing to the team. But when you don't score, people want to talk."
Boniface's issues have not been confined to the pitch. Off the pitch, he has also drawn attention for his lively, if quirky, social media posts. Known for humorous and sometimes cryptic posts, he insists his online activity is simply an outlet for expression, not controversy.
"I have been making these posts since I was in Norway, but I don't insult anybody," he explained. "When I have a good feeling, I make these posts. It's just a joke for me, but if people want to take it seriously, that's on them."
Boniface says he has learned to take criticism in stride, focusing instead on those who know his true personality.
"I have people that know me and know my personality," he said. "The most important thing for me are the people around me. If they are happy with what I am doing, then I am happy. I can't please everybody."