Victor Boniface, the Super Eagles striker currently with Bayer Leverkusen, has urged aspiring young players aiming for opportunities in Europe to treat every training session during trials with absolute seriousness.
Key takeaways
- Boniface advises young footballers targeting Europe to give their best in every practice session at trials.
- He said he initially assumed coaches would mainly judge players during full-team, 11-vs-11 matches.
- Boniface learned later that evaluation begins immediately, including early drills and small-sided work.
- He highlighted that scouts watch closely for technical quality, decision-making, work rate, and attitude.
- The forward stressed that strong “first impressions” can be decisive for success in trial periods.
Boniface’s trial lesson
Boniface, speaking on his own experience, explained that when he arrived for a trial in Norway, he held back until the sessions featuring 11 players against 11 were scheduled. In his view at the time, those were the moments where a coach would primarily look for what a player could do.
However, he said that belief changed once he realised that the assessment process starts much earlier than he expected. Coaches and staff, he explained, begin evaluating from the opening drills rather than waiting for the full match-style segment.
“Omo, na from central ball trial dey start and small-sided games,” Boniface added, describing how the trial structure typically begins with ball work around the middle and then moves into smaller games.
What scouts look for
From that point on, Boniface said he understood that scouts are watching continuously across training, not just during the headline fixtures. He pointed to several areas that are carefully monitored throughout the sessions, including a player’s technical ability, decision-making, work rate, and overall attitude.
With that in mind, Boniface urged upcoming players to approach every exercise at maximum intensity, insisting that performances from the earliest moments can shape the outcome of a trial and influence whether a player earns the next step.
