Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella and all the members of Bayer Leverkusen’s title-winning squad are set to be granted honorary citizenship by the town hall of the City of Leverkusen.
In Germany, honorary citizenship is usually awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to improve a community’s reputation. Xavi Alonso and his charges delivered the club’s first-ever league title in its 120-year history after winning the Bundesliga last Sunday.
Leverkusen were crowned champions in style, having gone unbeaten in the 29 matches played so far, with 25 wins four draws. They’ve also impressively scored 74 goals in that period while conceding just 19, giving them a healthy goal difference of plus 55 on the table.
For a club that finished sixth last season, winning the Bundesliga title this term signifies a remarkable feat and the City of Leverkusen has decided to honour all those involved in making it happen.
To this end, the entire title-winning squad has been granted honorary citizenship. Boniface was born in Nigeria and originally bears the West African country’s passport. Tella, on the other hand, was born in England but attained dual citizenship after switching nationality to play for the Super Eagles last year.
Boniface, Tella played key roles in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga triumph
Both Boniface and Tella played important roles for Leverkusen in their run to the championship. Boniface only joined Die Werkself in July 2023 and took the Bundesliga by storm in his debut season.
The 23-year-old didn’t need much time to settle following his move from Belgian side Union SG, and immediately established himself as one of the best strikers in the German top-flight.
Although an abductor injury would rule him out for three months midway through the campaign, Boniface still managed more goal contributions than matches played, having scored 11 goals and provided nine assists in 18 Bundesliga matches.
Tella also joined Leverkusen from Southampton before the start of the season, and although he was initially not getting enough minutes, he played himself into Alonso’s plans as the campaign wore on and became a valuable member of the squad.
The Arsenal academy graduate is in direct competition with Jeremie Frimpong for the right wing-back position, but his versatility allows him to play on the other flank as well. Tella has since played 20 games in the Bundesliga this season, contributing five goals and two assists.
City of Leverkusen honours club’s history makers
While Leverkusen’s squad have been granted honorary citizenship, the City of Leverkusen is also planning to name a street after manager Alonso. The Spaniard joined the club when they were in the relegation zone and struggling last season. However, he completely changed their fortunes and qualified them for the UEFA Europa League. Alonso has since taken it a notch higher this season, by leading Die Werkself to a historic league title.
Ahead of Leverkusen’s title-clinching game against Werder Bremen on Sunday, some fans of the club changed the street signs on a major road leading to the Bay Arena and rechristened the street “Xabi-Alonso-Allee.”
While current regulations bar the Council from naming streets after personalities, an exception could be made for Alonso after the administration said it was examining “the requirements for an official designation.”
“Die Werkself, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, your passion for the game, the great team spirit has flooded Leverkusen with a wave of euphoria. The city has changed since today,” the Mayor of Leverkusen Uwe Richrath is quoted as saying by Kicker.
Alonso and his players could make further history in the coming weeks, with the German Cup final against FC Kaiserslautern scheduled for next month. Leverkusen also have the treble in sight after taking a huge step towards reaching the semi-final of the Europa League by beating West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
